Tag Archives: Lucky Loser

Solana Sierra Makes History By Advancing to Fourth Round at Wimbledon

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Solana Sierra continues her Cinderella run at Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old Argentine tennis player, who was out of the competition a week ago at the All England Club, has become the first ‘lucky loser’ in the Open Era to reach the women’s singles fourth round at Wimbledon.

Solana SierraLucky losers are players who lost in qualifying but end up in the main draw if others withdraw.

Sierra only got 15 minutes’ notice before her first-round match that she’d be playing, following an injury to Belgium’s Greet Minnen.

And Sierra has grasped her opportunity with both hands, beating Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1 in the third round on Friday.

“I remember I was really sad that day [I lost in qualifying], and today is like the best day of my life,” she told BBC Sport.

“So it’s been really crazy. Seven days ago, I was out of the tournament, right now I’m into the second week. So it’s really crazy, and I’m just super happy.”

She is the first Argentinian woman since Paola Suarez in 2004 to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.

By getting to that stage, Sierra will take home a minimum of £240,000 in prize money, adding considerably to her £330,000 career earnings until this point.

“[I feel] super lucky,” said the world number 101, who beat Britain’s Katie Boulter in the second round. “But I think I also take the opportunity, and I really want to keep going and to keep dreaming in this tournament.”

Sierra has picked up her fourth different room key as she keeps up her historic progress at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Sierra has extended her latest accommodation booking until Tuesday, which means if she beats Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Sunday, she will still have somewhere to stay until the quarterfinals.

While Sierra is the first woman to achieve the feat, there have been five lucky losers to reach the men’s singles fourth round, most recently Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in 2024.

And there is a lucky loser impressing in the men’s singles this year too.

The 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics beat Gael Monfils over five sets, and across two days, to reach the third round.

The Hungarian, who said he had gone from “hell to heaven” since losing in qualifying, will play the American 10th seed Ben Shelton on Saturday.

Sara Sorribes Tormo Outlasts Ekaterina Alexandrova to Win Tennis in the Land Title

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Sara Sorribes Tormo is a lucky loser and winner…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional tennis player, who received a lucky loser berth into the tournament, captured her second career singles title with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over fourth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at Tennis in the Land on Saturday.

Sara Sorribes TormoSorribes Tormo, ranked No. 95 in the world, overcame a 4-2 deficit in the second set and trailed 4-3 in the third before storming back. She broke No. 22 Alexandrova twice to close out each set, finishing the 2-hour, 27-minute match on her fourth match point at the WTA 250 event.

“I knew I was close to losing the match, so I was thinking that I have to find the solution,” she said. “My family always tells me to fight and always stay in the match, and that’s what I tried to do. I know I can run and I used that to my advantage.”

The championship was the final stop on an emotional roller coaster for Sorribes Tormo, who was “almost crying in the players’ lounge” at the Nautica Entertainment Complex after being eliminated in the qualifying round.

When Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania became the sixth player to withdraw from the 32-woman main bracket, she informed Sorribes Tormo that four additional spots were now available. She subsequently picked her own name in the raffle for the first bid.

Sorribes Tormo became the sixth lucky loser in WTA history to win a singles crown. It was her first title since 2021 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“One week ago, I was out of the tournament, and today I am here,” she said, smiling. “Someone told me they call this Believeland. It must be true.”

Alexandrova, the lone seed to advance past the quarterfinals, fired all four aces in the match but was broken in her last three service games. She failed to score a point in one of them and committed two of her 14 double faults in the finale.

“Sara had an amazing week and played an amazing match today,” Alexandrova said. “It was quite an enjoyable week for everyone.”

Anett Kontaveit of Estonia won the inaugural Tennis in the Land title in 2021, and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia was the defending champion. All matches were played outdoors on a hard court, in a temporary downtown stadium, for the first time this year.