WIMBLEDON – A day after eliminating Serena Williams from Wimbledon in her debut at the grass-court Grand Slam, Harmony Tan surprised and angered her doubles partner by withdrawing from that tournament on Wednesday with a thigh injury.
Tan, a Frenchwoman ranked 115th who beat the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Centre Court on Tuesday, was scheduled to team with Tamara Korpatsch for their opening doubles match on Wednesday.
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“She just texted this morning. Let me wait here 1 hour before the match start,” Korpatsch wrote in an Instagram post. "I’m very sad, disappointed and also very angry that I can’t play my 1st Doubles Grand Slam.
“And it’s really not fair for me ... I didn’t deserve that.”
Tan is scheduled to play No. 32 Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain in the second round of the singles tournament on Thursday. Sorribes Tormo advanced by defeating American qualifier Christina McHale 6-2, 6-1.
The 24-year-old Tan is ranked 611th in doubles and has never played in that event at Wimbledon. Korpatsch, a 27-year-old German who is ranked 298th in doubles, lost in the first round of the singles tournament but has never played a doubles match at any Grand Slam tournament.
Tan was two points from losing to Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who hadn't played a singles match since injuring herself in the first round a year ago at the All England Club.
The match lasted 3 hours, 11 minutes.
“If you’re broken after a 3 (hour) match the day before, you can’t play professional (tennis). That’s my opinion,” Korpatsch wrote.
Tan and Korpatsch were scheduled to play 15th-seeded Nadiia Kichenok and Raluca Olaru on Wednesday in the first round of the doubles tournament. They were replaced in the draw by Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Peangtarn Plipuech.
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