Britain's Heather Watson returns the ball to Slovenia's Kaja Juvan in a third round women's singles match on day five of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)Britain’s Heather Watson reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in 43 attempts over 12 years on Friday as she beat Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan 7-6(6) 6-2 in front of a barely believing crowd on Wimbledon Court one.
Watson, 30, has slipped to 121st in the world rankings and fourth in Britain and although she has tasted notable success in doubles, she has never been able to sustain a challenge in singles at the top level, her best Wimbledon performances being reaching the third round three times.
She came through an awkward first set full of slices and drop shots against 21-year-old Juvan and did not let her head drop after blowing three set points in the tiebreak before taking it 8-6 on a double fault by the 60th-ranked Slovenian.
13 years on Tour. 43 Grand Slam main draws.
30-year-old 🇬🇧 Heather Watson is finally into Round 4 and at her home event, #Wimbledon
This is what it's all about. pic.twitter.com/im5ha2EQu8
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) July 1, 2022
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Energised, Watson blasted to a 5-0 lead in the second set, adding power and confidence to her groundstrokes, and though Juvan launched a late rally, Watson prevailed to cap a week to remember in which she has been on court five days in a row after her first two matches ran into second days.
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