Zhao Falls Just Short in Major Debut at Wimbledon

Just getting into the main draw of Wimbledon was already a victory for Carol Zhao, but the Canadian veteran is leaving the All-England Club still in search of her first match win at a major after a tough loss on Wednesday to Tamara Korpatsch.

After a quick start to her first-ever main draw match at a Slam, Zhao was unable to keep up the momentum as she eventually succumbed to the German’s big hitting in a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss.

Korpatsch was able to do everything just a little bit better than the Canadian in the first-round match, hitting slighting more winners 22 to 19, committing a few fewer errors 28 to 30, and winning 55 per cent of Zhao’s second serve points.

If Zhao was feeling any nerves competing in her first Grand Slam main draw match, she did not show it as she broke Korpatsch’s serve in the opening game. The Canadian looked locked in as she raced through the opening set, adding two more breaks of serve.

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The momentum abandoned her however right at the start of the second set as she was broken to love. Korpatsch seemed to have found her range as the German began dominating rallies, keeping Zhao on the defensive as she broke again for a 4-1 lead.

However, the back-and-forth continued as the Canadian was able to recover both breaks, taking advantage of some errors from Korpatsch to draw level at 4-4. But she was unable to close out the comeback, double-faulting on break point in the following game which set up the German to serve out the set.

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With the deciding set all square at 2-2, a single slip literally cost Zhao as she fell mid-point to go down 30-40 on her own serve. Korpatsch used her big hitting to convert the break point and never let Zhao back into the match, winning 14 of the last 17 points.

Rebecca Marino is still expected to play on Wednesday. Bianca Andreescu has been delayed until Thursday.