LONDON, Great Britain – British No.4 Harriet Dart is already looking forward to playing WTA World No.1 Ashleigh Barty on Saturday in the third round of Wimbledon after producing a 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-1 victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The 22-year-old wildcard had never previously won a Grand Slam main draw match before this week but built on her three-set victory over Christina McHale in the first round by producing an upset victory over a player ranked over 60 spots higher in the WTA Ranking and coming off one of the best performances of her career, having knocked out 2017 champion Garbiñe Muguruza.

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Her reward is a match up against Barty, who is not only the top-ranked player in the game, but also the most in form, having strung together 16 victories in succession.

“I’ve got nothing to lose,” she said after being asked about the prospect of playing such an opponent. “It's an exciting match for me. Just another great opportunity to get out there and do the best that I can.

“I think I'm just learning from all these experiences that I'm having this year. Everything is still pretty new for me. Again, this is my second Wimbledon. I'm still finding my feet. I'm definitely proving that my tennis is definitely right up there with the level.”

After losing to Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January without so much as winning a game, the WTA World No.182 is now facing an even greater challenge, though it is one that she is approaching with a mature attitude.

“I think every match you go through a set of emotions playing, especially my next match, which is a big match,” she said. “I'm playing the best player in the world at the moment and whose form has been unbelievable. It’s a great opportunity for me to see where my tennis is at.” 

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Dart did not have things all her own way on Thursday against the Brazilian, who hit two more winners than the Brit and just one additional unforced error. However, the serving of the home player was more effective, with eight aces to just a single double fault, while a leg injury seemed to hamper the South American as the third set slipped away from her.

“I think mentally I'm improving all the time,” Dart said. “I think I'm a very fiery type of competitor. I think that definitely shows. I'm such a fighter. I think sometimes my emotions might get the better of me as you probably saw from parts of the match today.

“I think it's really important that I regrouped and I was able to come out on top.”