Harmony Tan reveals she was 'really scared' to face Serena Williams

Harmony Tan reveals she was ‘really scared’ to face Serena Williams as she grew up watching the ‘superstar’… and claimed she thought she would only win ‘one or two’ games – before knocking her out of Wimbledon in the first round!

  •  Harmony Tan triumphed over Serena Williams in the first round at Wimbledon
  • The 24-year-old won 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) on her main-draw debut on Centre Court
  • The French player had been scared to face the legend but showed composure 
  • She will face Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round on Wednesday

Harmony Tan admitted she was ‘scared’ to face Serena Williams but held her nerve to seal an emotional victory over the ‘superstar’ she grew up watching. 

The 24-year-old produced a Wimbledon epic on Centre Court which ended in triumph for Tan on her main-draw debut but heartbreak for Williams on her comeback. 

Tan, the World No 113, showed remarkable composure to pull off a 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 victory over the 23-time Grand Slam champion to seal her place in the second round at SW19.

Harmony Tan admitted she was ‘scared’ to face Serena Williams but held her nerve to win

The World No 113 beat the 23-time Grand Slam Champion (left) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 on Centre Court

Tan could hardly believe it after clinching victory on her second match point when Williams fired a forehand into the net.

Speaking to the BBC following her Centre Court triumph, Tan said: ‘I’m so emotional now. Serena is a superstar and when I was young I was watching her so many times on the TV.

‘For my first Wimbledon, it’s wow. Just wow.

‘When I saw the draw I was really scared. Because it’s Serena Williams, she’s a legend. I thought if I could win one or two games it was really good for me.’

Tan could hardly believe she had won after watching ‘superstar’ Williams on television

Tan is coached by 1998 Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, who faced Williams three times in Singles competition, and the French player thanked her coach following the match.

She said: ‘I would like to thank everybody today and my team and my coach Nathalie Tauziat, who also played Serena. Thank you so much for being with me.’

Tan started out the stronger of the two as Williams appeared rusty on her return to singles competition. 

The 24-year-old started strong to claim the opening set before being blown away in the second

The French player used the court to her benefit and stretched Williams to take the first set. 

However, Williams stepped up a gear in the second and her talent shone through as she showed glimpses of her Wimbledon pedigree to blow Tan away 6-1. 

Both players had chances to win the match during the deciding set but neither took them before Tan finally triumphed in a tie-break after three hours and 10 minutes on court. 

She will now face Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round on Wednesday.




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