Rothesay International Eastbourne 2024: Harriet Dart seals season-best win to set up clash with former Wimbledon champion
Harriet Dart is excited to face off against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after enduring a long and challenging first round match at the Rothesay International Eastbourne tournament.
The 27-year-old was losing 4-1 in the first two sets, but managed to come back and secure a thrilling 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-4 win after playing for over three hours on the southern coast.
Now she must compete against top-ranked player Rybakina, who is ranked fourth globally, for a chance to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.
UPDATE: Rybakina has officially pulled out of the singles competition and will be substituted by Sofia Kenin, who is also a previous Grand Slam winner.
Her exact words were: "The match was amazing, with many highs and lows. The court felt new and unique compared to the ones I usually train on."
Marie is a strong competitor and always presents a challenge. I am a little surprised that the matches are going on for so long on grass, but I am pleased that I came out victorious this time.
"I am always amazed every time I return here and see the packed crowd. The energy and atmosphere are just incredible. Their support really motivates me to perform at my best."
"Elena is an amazing winner and she hits the ball really hard, so I'm looking forward to having an enjoyable match with her."
Dart narrowly missed making it to the quarter-finals at the Rothesay Classic Birmingham last week. She was defeated by Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion, in the round of 16. In another event, she also lost to her fellow countrywoman Katie Boulter at the Rothesay Open Nottingham.
British No.2 Dart secured her spot at Wimbledon last week and will compete in both the singles and doubles events, pairing up with Maia Lumsden, who reached the quarter-finals last year.
This summer, she has had a lot of experience playing in lengthy matches. She was happy to win her latest intense match.
She explained: "A few weeks ago things didn't work out as planned, and I was very motivated to make things right at this event."
Definitely, there are times when thoughts linger in your mind, but today I made a conscious effort to approach things in a new way and grow from my past errors.
I wish I could say there were specific strategies involved, but honestly, it was more about instinct and reaction.
"I tend to think too much, but I perform better when I just trust my instincts. Marie always puts up a tough challenge, so I had to put in a lot of effort to win the match."
Stay updated with all the latest news and developments from the Rothesay International Eastbourne event.
This blog was authored by Abi Curran from SportsBeat.
