Wimbledon 2016: Great Britain’s big day continues as Heather Watson claims the mixed doubles title
Andy Murray was not the only British Wimbledon champion on Sunday on the pristine turf of the All England Club. He may have been the biggest name to lay his hands on the coveted trophy but he certainly inspired a young lady to emulate him when she took the court in her very first Major final of any kind just a few minutes later.
Great Britain’s 24-year-old Heather Watson, who is ranked 55th in singles and a lowly 119th in doubles, brought smiles once more to the Centre Court crowd as they watched her clinch the mixed doubles title alongside Finland’s Henri Kontinen.
The unseeded British-Finnish pair produced a sterling display to outclass the 15th seeded German-Colombian combine of Anna-Lena Gronefeld and Robert Farah 7-6 (5) 6-4 for their very first Major triumph in 1 hour 27 minutes.
What makes it even more incredible is that this was the very first time that the two have paired up. And success was immediate. The two had a fairytale run throughout the fortnight, accounting for even the defending champions Leander Paes and Martina Hingis in the third round.
In the summit clash, they won a staggering 88% points on their first serves and secured the vital break of serve in the seventh game of the second set that awarded them the win.
Historic win
This was the first time since 1987 that a British woman reigned supreme on these verdant lawns. Not only that, the last time two Britons captured two of the five traditional Wimbledon titles was way back in 1937.
The British wave did not stop there. There were two more home winners at SW19 – Gordon Reid claimed the men's wheelchair singles title while Jordanne Whiley triumphed in women’s wheelchair doubles.
After the bitter disappointments with Brexit and England exiting the UEFA Euro Championship, this was certainly a day for British fans to cherish forever!