British No4 Harriet Dart has been knocked out in the first round of Wimbledon, following defeat by Diane Parry of France.
In a closely-contested match on the first day of the Championships, the British wildcard, who is ranked 135th in the world, lost 7-6, 0-6, 4-6 on Court 12.
Dart fell 3-0 behind in the first set, with her 20-year-old French opponent finding the corners accurately. Parry looked the more settled of the pair, but Dart battled back to 6-6 and won the opening-set tiebreak 7-4.
Parry, ranked 96th in the world and currently France’s No4, won a commanding second set, breaking three times to win it with a bagel.
The final set was a more tense affair, though Dart got the crowd behind her when holding out for 4-4 by winning the eighth game to love. Yet at 5-4 behind, Dart was broken on serve at the worst possible time, with Parry punching the air at the end of the match.
Dart was left smacking her racket against the turf in frustration after exiting the competition earlier than she did last year, when American Jessica Pegula beat her in the second round.
