Heather Watson’s dream Wimbledon run continues as she clinches a place in the fourth round after beating Kaja Juvan in straight sets
- Heather Watson has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for first time ever
- The British No 4 dismantled Slovenian star Kaja Juvan, 21, on Court 1 on Friday
- The 30-year-old British star emerged victorious 7-6 6-2 after an excellent display
- Watson will be guaranteed to walk away from Wimbledon with at least £190,000
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.
Heather Watson (above) has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for first time ever
She dropped to her knees after winning the final point against Kaja Juvan on Court 1
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.
As a result, Watson will be guaranteed to walk away from Wimbledon with at least £190,000 and will be increasingly confident of advancing even further after a stellar run so far.
The 30-year-old star had already beaten Tamara Korpatsch and Qiang Wang en route to securing her third round appearance and was hopeful of overcoming Juvan to reach the fourth round.
The British No 4 (R) emerged victorious 7-6 6-2 against Juvan (L) on Friday afternoon
Watson is guaranteed to walk away with at least £190,000
However, history was not on her side heading into the game. She had previously reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2012, 2015 and 2017 but had never reached the fourth round until Friday.
Speaking after the game, Watson said: ‘Wow what an atmosphere. Firstly, it wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t a bit of drama at the end.’
Watson went on to add that she was ‘so happy’ to reach the fourth round and credited the crowd for getting her over the line at the end.
The British No 4 will now be focus on her next game – where she will face German star Jule Niemeier, the world No 97, for a place in the quarter-finals.
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