All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 3, 2022 Germany's Tatjana Maria celebrates winning her fourth round match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS/Toby MelvilleAll England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 3, 2022 Germany's Tatjana Maria celebrates winning her fourth round match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS/Toby...
It was the biggest career victory for the mother of two who returned to action from maternity leave just under a year ago and she will play Jule Niemeier in the last eight after the German beat Briton Heather Watson 6-2 6-4. “It makes me so proud to be a mum, that’s the best feeling in the world,” she said in an on-court interview.Maria made a solid start as the 25-year-old Ostapenko, who reached the semi-finals at the grasscourt major a year after her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2017, surrendered her serve early to trail 1-3.
Maria, at 34 the oldest player left in the women’s draw, had impressed in her stunning straight sets-victory over fifth seed Maria Sakkari in the previous round and she hit back from 1-4 down in the next set before forcing a decider.