Staff Reporter.
(AFP) – France’s Harmony Tan continued her stellar Wimbledon debut on Saturday to book her maiden fourth-round spot at a Grand Slam, crushing Briton Katie Boulter 6-1 6-1 in just 51 minutes.
The 24-year-old Tan proved that her thrilling win over seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in the opening round was no fluke and she has now won three straight Tour-level matches for the first time in her career.
“No I don’t believe it yet – if I sleep a little bit, tomorrow maybe I will believe it, but it’s amazing,” Tan, who will next meet one of two Americans, either Coco Gauff or Amanda Anisimova, for a place in the quarterfinals, said on court.
“I think I like grass, I never play on this court but I like to play with slice and volley and everything with my game so I’m really happy.
“It was really emotional for the first round against Serena and after it was just playing match by match and today was really good tennis.”
Despite partisan support from the home crowd on Court two, Boulter failed to put up any resistance against Tan’s variety and superb court coverage and the world number 118 did not help her cause by committing 21 unforced errors.
After taking on Williams on Centre Court in a late-night thriller, Tan said she was happy to be put on a smaller court.
“Because when you play a Brit on Centre Court, I think there is a lot of people for her. I like to play on a small court,” Tan told reporters. “I like to play first match also because I don’t wait all the day.”
After breaking Boulter’s serve twice, Tan sent down three aces in her fourth service game to bag the opening set in 27 minutes.
The 115th-ranked Frenchwoman secured another early break in the second set, pulled off a “tweener” trick shot to break Boulter again and a third break sealed a one-sided contest.
The big-smiling Tan did not allow Boulter a single look at her own delivery, hitting her slices to perfection to open up the court and hit 16 winners against just five unforced errors.
Tan’s game, made up of crafty slices, well-disguised drop shots and an impregnable defence, might not find too many new fans but has proved effective against power-hitters on grass.
“When I was young, they told me that I cannot be really good player with this game, so it was really tough for me,” she said, with a constant smile on her face.
“I didn’t have help, and financially it was really hard.
“But there is one person who believed in me. It was (current coach) Nathalie Tauziat when I was 18, and we work on that game.”
GAUFF SUFFERS EARLIEST EXIT
Coco Gauff whacked her head with her racket and repeatedly jabbed her forehead with her long fingernails but no matter what the frustrated American teenager did, she could not find a way to rescue her Wimbledon dreams.
As one of the most recognised faces at the All England Club, it often feels like Gauff has been competing at the championships for decades.
Yet it was only three years ago that the then 15-year-old school student announced herself to the world by turfing out her idol Venus Williams from the grasscourt major in the first round.
Since that incredible win, Gauff had never lost before the fourth round at Wimbledon — until Saturday.
Gauff’s Wimbledon challenge came unstuck in the third round when she was beaten by familiar foe Amanda Anisimova 6-7(4) 6-2 6-1 in an all-American showdown.
“It’s my first time playing on Centre Court and it’s the most special day of my career,” said a beaming Anisimova, who celebrated her triumph by collapsing on to her back.
“Before the match I was just trying to prepare myself to soak in this moment whether I win or lose but winning today is just so special and I am very grateful for this experience.”
The two Florida-based players had made their way through the junior ranks at the same time, with Anisimova thrashing Gauff to win the US Open junior title in 2017.
Hence when the duo walked on to Centre Court on the sixth day of these championships, they were already all too familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
During the opening exchanges, 11th seed Gauff threatened to wallop Anisimova as she had two break points to go 4-0 up. An error from the now 18-year-old Gauff and a smash from her opponent kept 20th seed Anisimova alive in that game.
From then on, Anisimova began to work her way back into the contest, winning the next four games to nudge 4-3 ahead in what turned out to be a tight, yet topsy-turvy, first set.
When Anisimova smacked a forehand into the net to surrender the opening-set tiebreak, Gauff shook Centre Court with a roar of “Come on”.
At that stage, only one point separated the two players with Gauff having bagged 51 of the 101 points contested.
But Anisimova refused to roll over and, despite an early exchange of breaks in the second set, she jumped ahead 3-1. From then on, she was determined to make her debut on tennis’s most famous stage a day to remember as she ran away with 10 of the next 12 games.
A backhand winner not only sealed her a place in the last 16 here for the first time, it also earned her a Tour-leading 13th three-set win this season.
Anisimova will meet Serena Williams’s conqueror Harmony Tan for a place in the quarterfinals.
FORMER CHAMP HALEP THUMPS FRECH
Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep soared into the fourth round with a commanding 6-4 6-1 victory over Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
The 30-year-old Romanian, who returned to the All England Club this year for the first time since winning the grasscourt major in 2019, came into match having beaten Frech in both their previous meetings.
Despite a stiff breeze blowing across Court two, Halep started in aggressive fashion to build up a 4-0 lead and although the 92nd-ranked Frech managed to get a break of serve back, it was not enough to stop her opponent from winning the first set.
Playing her maiden third-round match at a major, Frech also cancelled out an early break at the start of the second set but Halep regained the lead immediately and celebrated with a clenched fist and repeated slaps on her thigh.
There was no stopping the 2018 French Open winner after that as she continued to spray the court with winners and advanced to the net at every opportunity to leave Frech, who has never beaten a top-20 player, stranded.
Halep broke Frech’s serve twice more and sealed the contest in 67 minutes with her 24th winner.
“It has been a good match,” Halep said on court. “It’s always difficult to play on grass. Today with the wind it was not that easy.
“It’s always a pleasure to play at Wimbledon and I have great memories, so I’m trying just to enjoy everyday.
“It helps a lot that I could win this tournament, I have confidence but every match is difficult and every opponent is tough.”
Halep will meet either fourth-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa or twice former champion Petra Kvitova for a place in the quarterfinals.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME AS TOMLJANOVIC REACHES LAST 16
Ajla Tomljanovic reached last 16 — a surprise for her father, who only booked her into tournament accommodation until after the second round.
Despite making the quarterfinals last year, Ratko Tomljanovic had only reserved their nearby house until Friday.
“I was like, you thought I’d lose second round,” said Tomljanovic. “At least book it till like Sunday.
So it’s a good problem to have. I’m not really satisfied being in the third round and then moving houses.”
The 29-year-old Australian said finding a new place was a headache.
“The problem was it’s so hard to find something. London is packed, and I didn’t want to stay an hour away. He didn’t take it well. I gave him a lot of grief yesterday.”
Tomljanovic managed to find a hotel near the All England Club on Friday.
With that settled, she was able to seal a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Czech 13th seed and 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
However, there was more bad news from Ratko on Saturday.
“Today when I finished, he’s like, ‘Oh, I have to book again’. I was, like, ‘you’re kidding me’.
“He wasn’t kidding but he managed to book the same hotel, so I have a room probably until Tuesday.
“But I don’t care. I said, even if someone is joining me in my room, I’m not leaving this hotel.”
Next up for the world number 44 is a last-16 clash against either world number one Iga Swiatek or French veteran Alize Cornet.
She says her father will keep booking her flights and hotels as he has done throughout her career even if his explanation for the hotel blunder left her bamboozled.
“He’s like, ‘Ajla, hungry rats swim the fastest’, whatever that means,” she added.
“I’m like, ‘I’m not a rat and I’m not hungry. I just want my house from the beginning till the end, or maybe you should just believe in me a little more’.”