HEATHER WATSON and partner Tara Moore pulled off an epic victory in the second round of the Junior Wimbledon girls’ doubles over Katarzyna Piter and Romana Tabakova yesterday evening.
In a roller-coaster of a match Watson, 16, and Moore, 15, staved off a match point in the third set before winning the decider 9-7 on court 16.
‘I don’t know what to say – I’m just so happy,’ said a clearly emotional Watson as she walked off the court. ‘I wanted to win it so bad because I wanted to play again.’
Watson and Moore were seemingly not intimated by their older and taller opponents as they took the first set at a canter, 6-3.
Piter and Tabakova took a prolonged toilet break between the sets to gather their thoughts and it worked as they raced to a 4-1 lead in the second.
Watson and Moore needed a big effort to get back into the proceedings, and that is exactly what they gave as they clawed it back to four games all.
But unfortunately they could not take the next step as the 17-year-old East Europeans won the set 7-5 to level the score.
Piter won the first game of the deciding set with her serve before Watson had hers broken.
This momentarily put the home team on the back foot but as was the nature of the match with not one side taking it by the scruff of the neck, they hit back by breaking Slovakian Tabakova’s serve in the third game to keep themselves in the hunt. It was then all square after Moore’s serve at 2-2.
Both pairs then held on to their serves for 3-3 but Piter and Tabakova won the next two games, first breaking Moore’s serve.
With Piter, who was the better of the two servers in her pair, then serving at 5-3 they got to match point at 40-30.
But the Pole double-faulted and allowed Moore and Watson back in to go on to claim the game. However, in the process, Moore aggravated an ankle injury which was heavily strapped.
Playing with tears in her eyes and a slight hobble, the English girl showed a lot of backbone as she soldiered on.
Moore won with her serve to make it 5-5 before Tabakova held hers.
Service was not broken until the 14th game and with the score 7-7.
Watson and Moore, now geed on by the large home crowd that had gathered as they made their way to gate 12, produced some of the best tennis of the match as they broke Tabakova before Moore held hers to ensure that a remarkable win was theirs.
They now face Australian pair Isabella Holland and Sally Peers in the quarter-finals.
Article posted on 3rd July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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