British player Oliver Tarvet, currently ranked No. 719 in the world, has secured his place in Wimbledon’s main draw after coming through the qualifying rounds. However, he won’t be able to retain most of his earnings for reaching the first round.
At 21 years old, and studying at the University of San Diego, Tarvet has shown impressive performance on the college tennis circuit. He is the first British male player to qualify for Wimbledon since Alexander Ward in 2017.
Tarvet achieved victories over 14th seed Terence Atmane in the first round and Canada’s Alexis Galarneau with scores of 6-3, 6-2. He then overcame Belgium’s 29th seed Alexander Blockx, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the main draw.
Due to the amateur status of most college sports in America, Tarvet will not be able to claim the majority of the £66,000 he earned by reaching Wimbledon’s first round.
“There’s a lot of emotions, but the main one is just happiness,” Tarvet said in a post-match interview. “A lot of hard work has gone into getting me here. I’m just really enjoying the moment; it’s a dream come true.”
Other British Players in Wimbledon Draw
Men: Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley, Cameron Norrie, Billy Harris, Dan Evans, Henry Searle, Jay Clarke, Jack Pinnington Jones, Johannus Monday, George Loffhagen, Oliver Crawford, Arthur Fery, Oliver Tarvet.
Women: Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Fran Jones, Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage, Heather Watson, Mingge Xu, Mike Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman.
British Players Knocked Out of Eastbourne
Dan Evans and Billy Harris faced elimination in the Eastbourne Open, concluding British representation in the tournament. Evans lost to American Jenson Brooksby 6-2, 6-3, while Harris, ranked 142, succumbed to French player Ugo Humbert with a score of 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.
“It was really difficult conditions. Jenson played a good match, he was probably better than me today,” Evans said. He had recently enjoyed a significant win over world No. 13 Tommy Paul.
Stewart and Appleton Exited Wimbledon Qualifying
Hamish Stewart’s attempt to join Tarvet in the Wimbledon singles draw ended with a defeat to Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi, losing 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Emily Appleton also faltered in the final qualifying round, losing to Slovakian Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.
Krejcikova Faces Injury Ahead of Title Defence
Barbora Krejcikova is a doubt for her Wimbledon title defence after withdrawing from the Eastbourne Open due to a thigh injury. The world No. 17 experienced discomfort during her second-round match and decided to rest before Wimbledon begins.
