Emotional match ends with Clara Tauson defeating Harriet Dart

In the first-round match between No. 72 Clara Tauson of Denmark and No. 76 Harriet Dart of Great Britain, game play seemed a less important factor. Hitting the ball back and forth became a conduit for the clear frustration being shown on the court. The two were mostly equals in stats by the end of the game, but Tauson’s patience prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.

The entire match was marred by drama, medical breaks and disruptions from fans that dragged the match out to nearly three hours.

Fans at Court 3 were reprimanded multiple times throughout the match by the chair umpire and players, with Tauson speaking directly to a fan about taking a phone call mid-game. People moved around during play, had loud ringers going off and talked to each other, distracting the players from starting new points during an already heated match.

Both players had clear frustration with the setting, but Dart had an increasingly hard time making it through the entire match. Tauson and Dart were running out of steam mid-way through the 84-minute first set, but Dart showed her full frustration moving into the second set. She repeatedly slammed the ball, and eventually her racket too, into the wall behind the court. She also yelled and motioned to her coach in aggressive ways. After a streak of struggling to serve, she yelled to her coach, “It’s up! Just give it up!”

In the third set, after a straight run of four games won by Tauson, Dart let out a loud scream and began to cry.

The match also contained a number of medical breaks, adding to the tension. Tauson took a medical time out in the second set after game five. She continued to get medical attention in every game that followed and rubbed her back after each point. Dart left the court after the second set and returned after an extended period of time. She also received a medical timeout after game three of the third set.

Tauson will face No. 3 seed Jasmine Paolini in the second round.

—Reporting by CJ Christy