It was a split in the third, but Tan showed her resilience in counterattack to get an exciting final set in a tense tie break. “When I saw the draw, I was really scared,” Tan said after the match. “She’s Serena Williams – she ‘s a legend. I used to say,’ Oh my God, how can I play? ‘And if I can win one or two games, that’s very good for me.” She did comfortably more than that in her first appearance at Wimbledon and her ninth Grand Slam match. The momentum had shifted between the two players during the three-hour, 10-minute match – first in Tan’s favor as he won the first set and then to Williams as he rallied in the second. It seemed that the 40-year-old Williams, playing her first match alone from last year’s Wimbledon, would prevail in the decisive set as she served for the victory. But the unforgettable return was not. Tan broke at 5-5, and although she failed to convert a match point to 6-5, she made no mistake when she had a second chance at the tiebreak. “For my first Wimbledon – it’s wow. Just wow,” she said, trying to find the words to capture her feelings. Williams played her first competitive games in almost a year in Eastbourne last week, working with Ons Jabeur in the doubles. The pair reached the semifinals, but had to retire after Jabeur suffered a knee injury. More …
title: “Serena Williams S Return To Wimbledon Concludes With Dramatic Defeat By Harmony Tan " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “Janet Boucher”
It was a break in the third, but Tan showed her resilience by fighting to make an exciting final set in a tiebreak. Asked if it was the last Wimbledon fight of her career, Williams said it was a question she “could not answer”. “Who knows where I will be?” she added. Williams played her first competitive games in almost a year in Eastbourne last week, working with Ons Jabeur in the doubles. The pair reached the semifinals, but had to retire after Jabeur suffered a knee injury. On Tuesday, she made her long-awaited return to the single, a year after retiring from the final race of the first round at Wimbledon. The momentum shifted between the two players during the three-hour and 10-minute match – first to Tan’s advantage as he won the first set and then to Williams as he rallied in the second. It seemed that the 40-year-old Williams would prevail in the decisive set as she served for the victory, but the unforgettable return was not to happen. Tan broke at 5-5, and although she failed to convert a match point to 6-5, she made no mistake when she had a second chance at the tiebreak. Ranked No. 115 in the world, Tan played in her first match in the Wimbledon main draw and ninth in all Grand Slams. “When I saw the draw, I was really scared,” he said after the match. “She’s Serena Williams – she ‘s a legend. I used to say,’ Oh my God, how can I play? ‘And if I can win one or two games, that’s very good for me.” Under the spotlight of Center Court, Tan comfortably did more than that – triumphing over one of the greatest athletes the sport has ever seen. “For my first Wimbledon – it’s wow. Just wow,” she added, trying to find the words to capture her feelings. It remains unclear if this was Williams’ last appearance at Wimbledon. When asked to summarize her legacy in the tournament, she was short if underestimated. “I think I’m pretty stable on the grass,” he said. “Maybe not today, but firmly out there.”
Nadal Progress, Sviatek
In the previous matches on Tuesday in Center Court, there were victories for this year’s champions of the French Open, Rafael Nadal and Iga Sviatek.
Nadal, a two-time Wimbledon winner, survived a horror by defeating Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-4 as he began his quest for the 23rd Grand Slam title, while Swiatek recorded its 36th consecutive victory defeating Jana Fett 6-0 6-3.
Nadal, who missed last year’s tournament due to injury, was warmly welcomed at the Center Court, where he was severely tested by the Argentine Cerundolo.
The Spaniard was on the way looking for a routine win when it was 2-0 and a break in the third set, but free-floating Cerundolo reacted with a double break to take the set.
The match seemed to be decisive when the No. 41 in the world broke in the fourth, only for Nadal to save his best until the end and seal the victory with a double break.
Swiatek, meanwhile, dominated the first set against Fett in their first match since the French Open, but had to overcome a difficult period in the second when Fett came close to securing a double break.
The top sport recovered from the unstable start of the set and achieved five games in a row, increasing its winning streak to 36 games.
