Harriet Dart said she had “only myself to blame” after her shock third-round loss to China’s Wang Xinyu on Court Two. Defeated by herself as many times as by her opponents. She led all three sets and led 3-0 in the third, but then lost six straight games, losing 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Reaching the second week of a Grand Slam is Dart’s stated goal in 2024, and this loss will hurt her even more because she is so close to that goal. “It’s heartbreaking to be up two sets and lose the match,” Dart said. “I had a lot of chances and I didn’t take them… I don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight, that’s for sure.”
When her game breaks down, her reactions are more expressive than her shooting. The ball hit the net, causing her to double over in pain. Between games, she returned to her chair and banged the bag with her racket. When asked what happened, Dart admitted she still didn’t know. “It really kind of unraveled. The same thing happened in the second set. I was 3-1 up after one break, but then I got broken. It was just chaos.
Dutt’s mood became a character in itself after her three-set match against Katie Boult. However, she looked more confident than her Chinese rival for much of the match, and her performance was far better than when she beat Bolt on Thursday. Smooth and confident, she swung a butter-smooth backhand around the court and passed Wang’s racquet so nonchalantly you could almost hear it chuckling as she passed.
On the windy No. 2 court, both players initially struggled to find the baseline, with several mistakes from Wang’s racket threatening nearby satellites. But Dart was finding its rhythm and led 3-1 in the first inning, but the day’s unpredictable weather interrupted it.
As the players left the field, the pouring rain gave way to bright sunshine, and spectators remained in their seats for now, optimistically donning sunglasses and sunscreen.
In the end, the relentless clouds kept the players in the locker room for more than an hour. Dutt maintained the momentum after the restart and took the first set.
Wang didn’t seem to have an answer, and besides being indifferent to line calls, some hawkish challenges helped her stay in the game. By the midway point of the second set, however, the 22-year-old was showing signs of the tenacity that brought her victory over fifth seed Jessica Pegula to get here.
As Wang began testing Dutt’s timid second serve, the British player began to show her nerves. At 5-4, Dart was just two points away from victory, but she made an easy volley. An unforced error cost her the next game, and Wang fought hard to force a decider.
Dart came on fire in the third set, firing gorgeous baseline shots to both sides of the court. At 30-15 in the final set, Wang Zhizhi served again slowly and put pressure on him again. After withstanding two break points, Dart directly sent the winning ball.
From there she gave Wang Yitong a pass back into the game. Failed tosses, failed challenges and missed backhand shots all speak to Dutt’s mentality when he misses a golden opportunity. It’s been five years since she last achieved this much at a Grand Slam – back in 2019 when she faced off against world number one Ash Barty.
Dutt still has a mixed doubles match to compete in, but she knows she has to learn from this match and learn how to handle pressure. “Once this game is over for me, I think I’ll reflect more. It’s a little too close to home now and it’s just such a huge loss. I’m just disappointed in myself.
