Brit No 2 Harriet Dart crashes out of third round match against Wang Xinyu after three-set battle... days after her tearful comeback victory against Katie Boulter
- Harriet Dart beat fellow Brit Katie Boulter in a dramatic match on Thursday
- British No 2 is yet to make the fourth round at Wimbledon in her senior career
Harriet Dart departed Wimbledon in despair, the Brit fighting back tears after blowing what she knew was a glorious opportunity to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Dart was leading 3-0 in the deciding set, only for it all to unravel as Xinyu Wang of China won six consecutive games to confirm her 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory on No 2 Court.
It was during this crushing collapse that the 27-year-old rode an emotional rollercoaster towards the exit.
There was anger when she whacked her bag with her racket, frustration as she directed words towards her team and anguish as she hid her face in her towel.
Finally there was acceptance, wiping her eyes while approaching Wang at the net after a gruelling third-round contest lasting two hours and 18 minutes.
Harriet Dart was unable to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time on Saturday
Chinese star Wang Xinyu battled back after falling a set behind to claim the win on No 2 Court
‘It was a huge opportunity today,’ said Dart, 58 places behind Wang in the world rankings.
‘I put myself in some situations where I was up and leading. To be up in two sets and come away with a loss is pretty heartbreaking, to be honest.
‘I had a three-love lead in the third and lost six games in a row. I only have myself to blame. This one will definitely sting for a long time.’
Dart knew how to beat Wang, having won their one and only meeting in Melbourne in 2022.
She also knew how to beat a top-50 player, her defeat of Katie Boulter in the second round here being the 11th time she had taken such a scalp in her career.
That victory also involved tears when Dart thought she was on the verge of defeat, but she managed to come out on top in that emotionally charged contest.
At the start of this match, there were more breaks than a Kit-Kat tasting session. Wang broke Dart. Dart broke Wang. Dart held her serve and then broke again for a 3-1 lead.
With Dart serving to make it 4-1 at deuce, umpire Miriam Bley suddenly announced: ‘Play suspended.’ The spectators were confused as there were no signs of a downpour, but Wimbledon’s cloud trackers had spotted some darkness heading their way.
Dart lost six games in a row to suffer a painful three-set defeat in front of the SW19 crowd
The British No 2 knocked out Katie Boulter in the second round after an impressive comeback
There was at least one change made by Dart during the interval. She abandoned the long sleeves she had been wearing on a windswept No 2 Court, where one spectator’s umbrella was blown across court by a particularly determined gust.
The break-a-thon continued after the delay. Dart was broken, Wang was broken, Dart held but then Wang did not as the Brit secured the first set 6-2.
The two competitors continued trading blows in the second set and at 5-5, Wang broke before serving it out to level the match.
In the decisive third set, Dart stormed into a 3-0 lead but Wang, showing more mental resilience than her opponent, brought it back to 3-3.
The Brit smacked her bag at the changeover and hid behind her towel as No 2 Court tried to encourage her to remember she was still in the fight.
Similar scenes of angst saw her come back against Boulter to win, but not this time.
Wang saw out the win, leaving Emma Raducanu as the only British woman remaining in the singles draw.
