Heather Watson was unable to continue the party on Centre Court after her unexpected Wimbledon run was stopped short of the quarter-finals by Germany’s Jule Niemeier. There would be no heartbreaking ending on this occasion and although Watson will regret the missed opportunity of an open tournament draw, the 22-year-old Niemeier proved to be on a different level and is more than deserving of her place in the last eight.
Watson overcame the trauma of a string of previous Wimbledon defeats by reaching the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time in 43 attempts, but Niemeier had no such history to speak of and swung freely as she grasped the opportunity on what is her Wimbledon debut. Niemeier, the world No 97, had upset the second seed Anett Kontaveit early in the tournament and will face another German, Tatjana Maria, for a place in the semi-finals.
