Who is Harmony Tan? Meet the Frenchwoman who stunned Serena Williams at Wimbledon
French player Harmony Tan produced one of the biggest Wimbledon upsets of all time on Tuesday by defeating 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the opening round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. After more than three hours of play, Tan overcame one of the biggest challenges in tennis, that too in her Wimbledon main draw debut.
Tan made several impressive comebacks throughout the match, winning 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7) against the seven-time Wimbledon champion Williams, who was playing her first singles match in 12 months. Tan overcame a 0-4 deficit in the match tie-break and won 10 of the next 13 points to seal the victory.
"She's beaten a legend."
After three hours, 10 minutes, Harmony Tan beats Serena Williams in a first round epic
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/IQst8AzXxv
Speaking after the match, Tan expressed her sheer disbelief at beating Williams, as the crowd on Centre Court gave a standing ovation to the players for producing a Wimbledon epic.
But who is Harmony Tan, who has suddenly become a household name? Here's a look at the Frenchwoman's journey so far.
Who is Harmony Tan?
A Paris native, Harmony Tan was born to Cambodian and Vietnamese parents in September 1997. She started playing tennis at the age of four along with her brother and turned professional in 2011 at the age of 14. Her mother is a financial journalist by profession, while her father is an engineer.
The youngster made her professional debut in 2012 in a $10k ITF event in France. She played on the ITF circuit for many years, winning seven singles titles and one doubles title. She won her maiden WTA title at the $10k Algiers-ALG event, back in 2015.
Tan's big break at the Majors came in 2018 when she made her singles Grand Slam main draw debut at the US Open. She lost to Eugenie Bouchard in her first match.
Oh my, Harmony Tan is victorious over Serena Williams at Wimbledon in an amazingly crazy match and the cute little kid in Harmony’s support team becomes an immediate iconic gif. Wonderful stuff, loved it #Wimbledon https://t.co/iNSKAy1Sh4
The Frenchwoman has since played at all four Grand Slam tournaments, with her best result coming at the 2021 French Open and 2022 Australian Open, where she reached the second round. With the win over Williams, Tan has matched those results, at the very least. Tan lost to Elina Svitolina in the second round of the Australian Open this year.
Harmony Tan has risen in the ranks quite well over the last couple of seasons. She finished the 2020 season ranked No. 233 and jumped to No. 108 at the end of the 2021 season. Tan achieved a career-high ranking of No. 90 earlier this year and is currently ranked No. 115.
As per her WTA profile, the 24-year-old loves to play the piano and go surfing when not playing tennis. She is coached by Nathalie Tauziat, a former World No. 3 and the 1998 women’s singles runner-up at Wimbledon.
A spectacle on Centre 💫
Harmony Tan secures the win of her career on debut at #Wimbledon 👏
#CentreCourt100 https://t.co/lH4BN2PUxP
How Harmony Tan shocked Serena Williams at Wimbledon
Harmony Tan played the match of her career so far to overcome a motivated Serena Williams and clinch her first-ever main draw win at Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman took an early lead in the match before going a break down in the opening set. She quickly found her feet as the nerves settled to break serve again and take the opening set 7-5.
Williams struck back in style to win the second set in quick fashion and even earned an early break of serve in the deciding set. Williams served for the match at 5-4, but Tan made yet another comeback to take the set to a deciding tie-breaker. She then converted on her second match point to win the tie.
A backhand so great even Serena had to applaud 👏
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/816YBpzG4q
Interestingly, Harmony Tan's coach, Tauziat, played Williams thrice during her time as a player, beating her once in the Paris Open final. Her input on playing Williams probably played a big role in Tan's victory.
Speaking after the match, Tan expressed that she was 'scared' when she saw the draw and learned she would face Serena Williams. The 24-year-old faces Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round on Thursday as her campaign continues.
Also Check Out :-Wimbledon 2022 Results