Heather Watson's hopes of a successful Wimbledon run were dashed early as she fell to 23rd seed Clara Tauson in the first round. The British player made a strong start, taking the first set convincingly, but was ultimately outplayed as the Danish star mounted a determined comeback to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Watson, once ranked as the British number one, showed early signs of form on Court 12. After being broken in the third game of the opening set, she responded brilliantly by reeling off five straight games to take the set. Tauson initially appeared unsettled by Watson’s aggressive play and strong groundstrokes.
However, the momentum shifted in the second set. Tauson regrouped quickly, breaking Watson early and maintaining the lead as the Briton struggled to land consistent second serves. The warm conditions at SW19 seemed to take their toll as Watson’s accuracy faltered, especially in the final set. At 3-3 in the decider, Tauson broke again and went on to close out the match, securing her first-ever appearance in the second round at Wimbledon.
The loss marks a third consecutive first-round exit for Watson at her home Grand Slam, a tough blow considering her run to the fourth round just three years ago. Her defeat also came on a day of mixed results for British players. Despite a record-breaking seven British wins on Monday, Day 2 began on a disappointing note as both Watson and wildcard Johannus Monday were eliminated. Monday fell in straight sets to American 13th seed Tommy Paul, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
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