Heather Watson sets up third round tie with Serena Williams after British No 1 beats Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets
- Heather Watson beat Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets on Wednesday
- British No 1 now faces Serena Williams in the third round at SW19
- Watson, 23, beat her Slovakian opponent 6-4, 6-2 on No 1 Court
Heather Watson wanted to show the world her full beaming smile but the searing heat on Court No 1 did not make it easy.
‘I was very happy but my mouth was so dry, I couldn’t even open it,’ she said later, in reference to the climax of her 6-4, 6-2 second round victory over Daniela Hantuchova.
Vital ranking points, her equal best showing at Wimbledon and a guaranteed £77,000 were among the dividends for a highly professional victory pulled off with composure.
Heather Watson clenches her fist in celebration on her way to beating Daniela Hantuchova on Wednesday
Watson beat the Slovakian 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round at SW19 for the second time in her career
Watson now faces Serena Williams in the third round, who beat Timea Babos on Wednesday
And now for the chance to test herself against the best of all, Serena Williams, on the most prestigious stage, Centre Court. It will not be as sweaty as it was on Court No 1, which is sunk deep into the ground and incubates the heatwave that enveloped the All England Club.
Watson was not unhappy. She has largely based herself in Florida since the age of 13, once she and her family worked out that taking tennis seriously was never going to work out if she continued living in Guernsey.
She will not have played a match at Wimbledon when that decision has aided her so much, and she looked better as the match went on, while her opponent wilted.
If you were to group Watson and the four other British players still alive in the singles draw, you might call them ‘The Outsiders’. They are drawn from far and wide: Watson the Channel Islands via Florida, Andy Murray Scotland, James Ward inner city London and Aljaz Bedene Ljubljana via Welwyn Garden City.
None of them came through Lawn Tennis Association systems (nor did Britain’s other winner, Liam Broady), which is why the governing body should not be celebrating excellent efforts such as Watson’s too hard.
They may breathe a sigh of relief, however, that these have distracted from the never-ending mess that is the hapless governing body’s elite performance department.
Watson's mum Michelle cheers from the stands during her daughter's victory on No 1 Court
Watson shields herself from the searing heat as temperatures soared to record-breaking highs
Chief executive Michael Downey is currently trying to recruit a new director after his false start with Australian Bob Brett.
Luckily, nobody has been able to disrupt the steady rise of Watson, who is a product of the IMG (Nick Bolletieri) Academy, which equipped her with the tools to cope with the massed ranks of East Europeans and the like.
For the odd British player who can work their way to somewhere near the top, the rewards are excellent. Watson has just bought a flat close to Wimbledon and her payday here will puncture a decent hole in the mortgage. ‘I’ve just got my own place, which has been a goal of mine for a long time. I’m going to have to start paying the bills now, so this will help,’ she said.
In the unlikely event of defeating Williams, she could pay off some more, and she must hope the great American has one of those blips she is prone to at Grand Slams.
Watson should acquit herself better than in 2012, when she last made the third round and faced third seed Agnieszka Radwanska on Centre Court.
‘I wasn’t sure how to deal with it,’ said Watson. ‘I remember totally overplaying it and thinking she was going to be this amazing player who I had no chance against. I tried to hit winners from the first ball and that was no good.’
Watson gets down low to fire a backhand return to Hantuchova on her way to an impressive victory
World No 72 Hantuchova set the early tone but Watson stormed to victory with ease in the second set
Among the long row of family she had here was her father Ian, with whom she holds a meeting at the end of every season to discuss what went right and what went wrong.
On the agenda come November will be her uneven form following a bright start in January that saw her win the WTA Tour event in Tasmania. The only time she has put together three straight wins since then was at Indian Wells in March, where her prize scalp was the same Radwanska who crushed her on Centre Court.
Sometimes there has been a lack of proactive intent, and it was nearly Watson’s undoing in the emotional first round against Caroline Garcia, when she was penalised for racket abuse and swearing. This time she kept her cool, even after serving three double faults in her second service game that saw her fall 3-1 behind.
Watson will earn at least £77,000 after reaching the third round at the All England Club
‘I hit the ball a lot harder today, I was a lot more aggressive,’ she said. ‘That’s how I need to play if I want to win. Against Daniela, if I’m just going to get the ball back she’s going to put it away.’
And her tennis upbringing meant the heat — measured at 35.7°C in the cheap seats — was not a problem. ‘I was surprised at how hot it felt but I’m not complaining. It’s nice weather for Wimbledon.’
It was among her best performances of the year, solid from the back and serving much better after the early setback. The canny Hantuchova immediately struck back after being broken in the first game of the second set, but losing the next four games sealed it.
Hopefully Jo Konta and Laura Robson will soon challenge Watson again, but for now she remains a rare shaft of light for women’s tennis in the host nation.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-3146221/Heather-Watson-sets-likely-round-tie-Serena-Williams-British-No-1-beats-Daniela-Hantuchova-straight-sets.html#ixzz3egaRXeIg
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