Heather Watson booked her spot in the second round of the Olympic games in Rio as she overcame Peng Shuai in two and a half hours. Despite taking the opening set, the British number two did not have it all her own way as Peng battled hard to find a way back into the match. Peng won the second set via a tie break. However, she could do nothing to prevent Watson from winning the third set. Watson looked impressive as she held off Peng to take the match.
Watson takes the opening set
In their first match of the Olympic games, both Peng and Watson got off to a good start by winning their opening service game. Unfortunately for Peng, the match soon took a turn for the worse as Watson gained control. Watson found herself with two break point opportunities, both of which Peng managed to fend off. After leveling the score in the game, Peng gifted Watson another chance to break. This time around, the British player did not falter as took the game to put herself ahead in the match.
Watson held her serve with relative ease, before finding herself with a chance to put herself a double break up in the set. Peng could do nothing to slow Watson's momentum, which allowed the Brit to take the game at the first time of asking. With another break under her belt, Watson had a comfortable 4-1 lead and looked likely to win the opening set with ease.
Peng quickly shortened Watson's lead as she broke the Brit to love in the sixth game of the set. Peng then played some good tennis to hold her serve for only the second time in the match. The next three games of the set went the way of the server, as both Watson and Peng won their service games with relative ease.
This took the score to 5-4, and gave Watson the opportunity to serve to put herself in a commanding position in the match. The world number sixty seven did not falter as she comfortably held her service, capitalizing on her second set point chance to put herself a set ahead in the match.
Peng wins the tie break to level the match
After losing the opening set, Peng would have been looking to start the second set strongly. The thirty-year-old did just that as she held her service. Unlike in the first set, neither player had a break point opportunity until the sixth game. It was Peng who worked herself a chance to break, however, Watson prevented her from taking it.
Peng was made to rue her missed opportunity as Watson broke her in the very next game. Watson played some big shots to give herself a 40-15 lead, and a chance to break her opponent. The Brit did not falter as she broke Peng at the first time of asking, giving herself a set and a break lead in the match. Watson's lead in the set did not last long as Peng upped her game to break the Brit to love and put the set back on serve.
In the eleventh game, Watson regained the lead in the set. The British made the most of her second break point chance, to take the game from Peng and give herself the opportunity to serve for the match. Unfortunately for Watson, the pressure of serving for the match got to her, which allowed Peng to work herself a break point chance. The Brit managed to prevent Peng from capitalizing on the break point, before gifting Peng another break point opportunity. Peng did not falter the second time around, as she broke Watson, to level the score and take the set to a tie break.
The tiebreaker was tightly contested, with both Watson and Peng picking up mini breaks throughout. However, it was Peng who found a way to edge past her opponent. The thirty-year-old held off a battling Watson to win the tie breaker 7-5 and take the match to a decisive third set.
Watson overcomes a battling Peng
Watson put the disappointment of losing the second set behind her as she raced to a 2-0 lead in the deciding set. The British number two looked to have regained her momentum that she had at the start of the match, as she comfortably held her serve before capitalizing on her first break point chance to break Peng and give herself a strong lead.
Unfortunately for Watson, her lead did not last long at all. Peng broke Watson back straight away despite the British player's best efforts. Watson fought off two break point opportunities, before gifting Peng a third chance to take the game. It was a case of third time lucky for Peng as she made the most of her chance to break Watson and put the set back on serve. The thirty-year-old than came through a tough service game, to level the score at 2-2.
In the sixth game, Watson regained the lead. A number of errors from Peng gifted Watson a chance to break. The Brit did not need to be asked twice as she took the game at the first time of asking to put herself in a strong position in the match. Once again though, Watson's lead did not last long, as Peng fought her way back into the set. Peng made the most of her break point opportunities to take the game and make sure that Watson did not extend her lead.
Watson got the decisive break of serve in the eighth game of the set. The British number two hit a string of impressive shots to take the game and give herself another chance to serve for the match. Unlike in the previous game, Watson managed to serve the match out, however, it was not easy. Watson had to hold of a battling Peng, who was unwilling to go down without a fight. In the end though, Watson managed to fend off two break point chances before winning the game, set and match at the third time of asking.
After a closely fought match which lasted two and a half hours, it was Britain's Watson who picked up the victory. The Brit will face Elina Svitolina in the next round.