Wimbledon: Serena Williams loses to Harmony Tan and Simona Halep earns first Wimbledon win in three years

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams looked rusty and lost her first singles match of the season after a hard-fought battle with Harmony Tan. Seren Williams lacked her earlier vigour. She was broken by her French opponent in the very first service of the match. However, she bounced back, levelling the score to 2-2 in the fourth game. Harmony Tan broke Williams again in the 11th game to clinch the first set 7-5.

The former World No. 1 had the complete support of the spectators throughout the match. She returned to court for the second set with renewed motivation and broke Harmony Tan in the second game to win the second set 6-1, sending the match into a decider.

Serene Williams broke first to get ahead in the third set, but Harmony Tan tied the score to 3-3. The American broke again in the ninth game, but her efforts failed as she served for the match. Serena Williams upped her game as the match was sent into a tiebreak to win the first four points. However, Harmony Tan stayed persistent and showed no signs of nervousness to win the following five points before sealing her victory after more than three hours of play.

In an on-court interview, Harmony Tan said, "I'm so emotional now. She's a superstar. When I was young, I was watching her so many times on the TV. "When I saw the draw, I was terrified. She's such a legend. I thought that if I could win one or two games, that would be good for me.

Harmony Tan will lock horns with Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain in the second round of the Wimbledon on June 29. Sara Sorribes Tormo advanced to the second round after beating Christina McHale of America 6-2, 6-1 on June 28.

2019 champion Simona Halep began her title bid for Wimbledon 2022 with a victory over Karolína Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, on June 28.

Simona Halep walked off the court with a trophy the last time she played at Wimbledon. She defeated Venus Rosewater Dish in the final round of the Wimbledon, following which she did not get an opportunity to defend her title for two years due to Covid-19 in 2020 and a medical injury in 2021. However, she marked her return to court to centre court on Tuesday with a flawless victory.

Simona Halep played well and did not show any neck injury that led to her withdrawal in the semifinal match against Bianca Andreescu at the Bad Homburg Open last week. She fired 16 winners to nine unforced errors and did not face any break points, while her Czechian opponent lost four of the nine break points she faced and committed two double faults. The 30-year-old lost just nine points on service games throughout the match and sealed a second-round spot after one hour and five minutes of play.

In a post-match interview, No. 16 seed Simona Halep said, "I have great memories from 2019. It's always a pleasure to come here to Wimbledon. It was pretty emotional before this match. But now, I want to enjoy it. I'm pleased about it. I have struggled a lot the last few years—many injuries, no confidence, everything that's happening in the world. Now, I love tennis again.

Simona Halep will face Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium in the second round of Wimbledon on June 29.