Wimbledon 2022: Serena Williams loses to Harmony Tan in three-hour first-round thriller

Williams was unable to summon the old magic as her Wimbledon return ended in a first-round defeat to little-known Frenchwoman Tan.

Stepping out on court to play singles for the first time since leaving Centre Court prematurely and in tears after suffering a hamstring injury in the opening round 12 months ago, Williams was rusty and error-prone.

The will remained and, cheered on by a supportive crowd, she looked like she might stumble over the finish line after coming from a set down and then saving a match point in the 12th game of the decider.

But instead Williams suffered just her third first-round loss at a grand slam, going down 7-5 1-6 7-6 (7) in a deciding tie-break at 10.35pm after three hours and 10 minutes in what could well be her Wimbledon farewell.

Tan, a 24-year-old debutante ranked 115, is the type of player Williams used to beat before even stepping on court but no one, including probably the 40-year-old herself, knew what to expect here.

Williams was rusty in the extreme in the first two games, her footwork leaden and her ball-striking wayward, but she gradually began to find some rhythm. The American was particularly vocal, shrieking at every winner and error, and it worked as she moved into a 4-2 lead.

But the main question mark was always going to be around Williams’ fitness and she was puffing hard as Tan eventually broke back after a long service game.

The Frenchwoman could not hope to match her opponent for power but had considerable success with deft drop shots and lobs and looked to be enjoying herself as she moved into a 6-5 lead.

Williams had a chance to draw level and force a tie-break but looked anxious and was unable to convert as Tan moved ahead.

With darkness closing in, a brief pause for the roof to be closed worked in Williams’ favour. She cut out some of the errors, and the shrieking, and set about retrieving the deficit, breaking Tan in the second game of the set after a remarkable run of 12 deuces.

When Williams, who won the last of her seven singles titles here in 2016, moved 3-1 ahead in the deciding set, it appeared the hard part was behind her.

But two doubles matches in Eastbourne last week were scant preparation for a return to grand slam singles and things became complicated once again. Williams began to show her emotions once more, leaping to celebrate the good moments and waving her arms in despair at the bad.

She slid deeper into trouble after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 but put away a drive volley to save a match point at 5-6 and force a deciding first-to-10-points tie-break.

Williams moved into a 4-0 lead but, on the stage where she has triumphed on so many occasions, this time there was not to be a happy ending.

Swiatek sets new record

World number one Iga Swiatek says she cannot be compared to Serena or Venus Williams yet, despite winning her 36th match in a row to set a new record.

Swiatek’s 6-0 6-3 victory over Jana Fett on Centre Court extended her winning run that began in February and made it the longest winning streak of the 21st century, overtaking Venus Willams’ record set in 2000.

The 21-year-old, who is already a two-time French Open champion and hot favourite for the SW19 crown, is surely set for bigger things but insists she is not at the level of the Williams sisters yet.

“Still when I see Serena or see Venus, they seem like, I don’t know, the legends,” she said. “I don’t consider myself a legend. They seem like the ones, they’re the greatest of all time in tennis. So not really.

“But it’s amazing for me to have that kind of streak. It just shows how much work we’ve been putting for every match. I’m pretty happy that I could show consistency because it was always my goal."

Elsewhere, Coco Gauff had to do things the hard way to get past Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse 2-6 6-3 7-5 while Simona Halep returned to action at Wimbledon for the first time since her 2019 title success with a 6-3 6-2 win over Karolina Muchova.

Nadal comes through opening test

Rafael Nadal strode into the second round at Wimbledon just three weeks after he was on crutches following make-or-break treatment on a chronic foot injury.

The Spaniard, 36, underwent radio-wave therapy on the nerve in his left foot earlier this month with his career potentially on the line after winning his 14th French Open.

The procedure seems to have been a success as Nadal was given a serious run-around by Argentinian debutant Francisco Cerundolo.

But, on his first appearance at the Championships since 2019, Nadal came through in four sets, 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-4 in three hours and 33 minutes.

“After three years of not playing here I’m very happy to be back,” he said. “The last three years I didn’t put a foot on a grass court, so it always takes a while in my first match. Every day is a test and this was an important test.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, a first-round loser last year, claimed a 7-6 (1) 6-3 5-7 6-4 win over Alexander Ritschard but Felix Auger-Aliassime, the eighth seed from Canada, was knocked out in four sets by American dark horse Maxime Cressy.

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