Following a runner-up end at Birmingham, Ajla Tomljanovic receives the ultimate girls’s singles main-draw wildcard for Wimbledon 2024.
Birmingham, Nice Britain, 24 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Ajla Tomljanovic’s spectacular run at a WTA 250 match in Birmingham this week didn’t go unnoticed.
The 31-year-old Australian defeated 4 top-60 opponents to cost into her first tour-level singles ultimate in additional than 5 years, earlier than Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva denied her quest to carry aloft a maiden WTA singles title.
Regardless of her 6-1 7-6(8) loss to world No.41 Putintseva, Tomljanovic was pleased with her efforts.
“I’m very completely satisfied that I received to the ultimate contemplating how my previous 18 months have regarded,” mentioned world No.190 Tomljanovic, who underwent knee surgical procedure in 2023 and was then sidelined by a uterine process earlier this season.
“I feel there’s loads that I can nonetheless enhance on, however the great point is that this entire week I’ve managed to search out methods to wins even when my again was towards the wall, and that’s a ability in itself that I’ve all the time tried to develop extra.”
Tomljanovic demonstrated her tenacious spirit within the ultimate, the place she recovered from a 1-6 0-2 deficit. She virtually prolonged the match right into a deciding set, holding a number of set factors in a tense end to the second set.
“It’s by no means straightforward dropping in a ultimate, however I actually tried my greatest right this moment,” Tomljanovic acknowledged.
Tomljanovic’s spirits have been quickly lifted, with Wimbledon awarding her with its ultimate main-draw singles wildcard.
The 2-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist had entered the Grand Slam match with a protected rating of world No.33. Nonetheless, receiving a wildcard means Tomljanovic can now save her protected rating, which might solely be used at a restricted variety of occasions, for later within the season.
“I’m feeling good about Wimbledon,” mentioned Tomljanovic, a winner in 19 of her previous 25 grass-court singles matches.
“I’ve a while (now) to maintain my physique, get in good condition and really feel contemporary.”
Aussies in motion – Birmingham
RESULTS
Girls’s singles, ultimate
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) d Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-1 7-6(8)
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