Watson fans’ joy lasts for one set only

Another third round, another Centre Court thriller and another heartbreak for Heather Watson.

Two years ago at the same stage she had Serena Williams on the rack with 15,000 fervent Centre Court fans cheering her every move. And she lost in three sets. Yesterday, she had Williams’ friend and rival, Victoria Azarenka, backed into a corner in front of another partisan crowd. And she lost in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

For a set, those 15,000 souls could barely contain themselves – Watson playedfarbeyondherranking of No 102. In fact, she was playing like a woman who knew she could beat a two-time grand slam champion. But then it all started to unravel.

After she was broken in the second game of the second set, the confidence seemed to leak out of Watson.

Azarenka, five games into her comeback after having her first child in December, is mentally tough and despite making unforced errors she grabbed the match by the throat.

Come the third set, Watson was making a better fist of it but Azarenka was not going to let her pass. She was broken as the Belarusian took a 4-3 lead but Watson broke straight back. Then Azarenka broke again and Watson’s singles run was over.

As fate would have it, Watson was soon back on court facing Azarenka again, this time in the mixed doubles. And this time she and Henri Kontinen, the defending champions, got their own way, removing Azarenka and Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 6-4.