Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan finally broke her Wimbledon duck on Monday, winning her first singles match in four tries after seemingly being cursed by draws that put her up against top-10 stars Maria Sharapova (2007), Dinara Safina (2008) and Marion Bartoli (last year) in previous first rounds.
Chan reached the second round for the first time, where she will play Russian 12th seed Nadia Petrova, after a convincing 6-0, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder.
It was only her third victory in 16 singles matches in Grand Slam events.
Chan was entranced by the television pictures of the tournament as a youngster, saying the likes of German icon Steffi Graf helped feed her ambition to play at the All England Club.
And the 20-year-old, who had fallen at the first hurdle at this championship four times, says her game will only improve when she meets Petrova.
“I was inspired by Jana Novotna and Steffi Graf,” Chan said after her victory. “I was very, very young and when I was watching I would point to the television and say ‘I am going to play on that court.’”
“You never know how far you can go but the most difficult thing is the first round. That is the hardest mentally. I will play better in the second round,” she said.
The No. 1 Taiwanese female player converted five break points out of seven and saved three break points on her own serve en route to a comfortable win over her Swiss opponent on Monday.
She expressed her admiration for another Swiss player, Roger Federer, the six-time Wimbledon champion who came back after being two sets down to defeat Alejandro Falla on Monday.
“Watching Federer playing is a pleasure. He is truly a king on the court,” she said.
Chan also praised Federer for his ability to balance his career and family while also treating the fans well, saying that he signs autographs patiently for each of his fans.
“He is a role model to look up to, whether on or off court,” she said.
This is the first time Chan has progressed into the second round of a Grand Slam tournament this year after early exits in Australia and France.
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