Wimbledon: Harmony Tan reveals she was ‘really scared’ to face Serena Williams on main-draw debut

Harmony Tan admitted she was “scared” of facing Serena Williams, but held onto her nerve to seal an emotional victory over the “superstar” she grew up on.

The 24-year-old produced a Wimbledon epic at Center Court that ended in triumph for Tan on her main draw, but heartbreak for Williams on her comeback.

Tan, the world No. 113, showed remarkable composure and took a 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 victory over the 23-time Grand Slam champion to secure her second round place at SW19.

Harmony Tan admitted she was ‘scared’ of facing Serena Williams but kept her nerve to win

The world No. 113 defeated the 23-time Grand Slam champion (left) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 on Center Court

Tan could hardly believe it after taking the win on her second match point when Williams fired a forehand into the net.

Speaking to the BBC after her Center Court win, Tan said: ‘I’m so emotional right now. Serena is a superstar and when I was young I used to watch her on TV so much,” said the 24-year-old on the job.

“For my first Wimbledon, it’s wow. Just wow.

“When I saw the draw, I was really scared. Because it’s Serena Williams, she’s a legend. I thought if I could win one or two games it would be really good for me.”

Tan could hardly believe she’d won after seeing ‘superstar’ Williams on TV

Tan is coached by 1998 Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, who faced Williams three times in singles, and the French player thanked her coach after the game.

She said: ‘I want to thank everyone today and my team and my coach Nathalie Tauziat, who also played Serena. Thank you so much for being with me.’

Tan started out as the stronger of the two as Williams looked rusty on her return to Singles competition.

The 24-year-old started off strong to claim the opening set before being blown away in the second

The French player used the field to her advantage and stretched Williams to take the first set.

However, Williams shifted up a gear in the second set and her talent shone through as she showed glimpses of her Wimbledon pedigree to blow Tan 6-1 away.

Both players had chances to win the game in the deciding set, but neither took them before Tan finally triumphed in a tiebreak after three hours and 10 minutes on the field.

She will now face Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round on Wednesday.