British underdog Marcus Willis has continued his Wimbledon fairy-tale by knocking out Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round.
Willis had to come through six qualifying matches in order to book his place in the main draw at Wimbledon. He had already cemented his place in the history books prior to his showdown against Berankis by becoming to lowest ranked player to play in a Wimbledon main draw (without the use of a protected ranking) since Mahesh Bhupathi in 2000.
Facing the world No.54 on court 17, Willis saved 19/20 break points to grab the biggest win of his life in his first ever main draw match on the pro tour. It is a remarkable achievement for a player who had only played two tournaments this season (counting his Wimbledon run) due to injury and spent the majority of the year working as a coach at the Warwick Boat Club.
“I played great,” he said shortly after his first round triumph.
“I got a bit tight but that was obviously going to happen, I’m delighted.”
During his first round, the British No.23 produced 14 aces and 43 winners to seal the win in under two hours.
Marcus Willis😄😄😄😄😄😄 how good is that!
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 27 June 2016
Before the grand slam, Willis has earned just £220 on the tour this year. He has now made an extra £47,000 following his first round win, which is roughly half of the money he has won throughout his entire professional career. The victory has sent an eruption of cheers around Wimbledon following his shock win, but Willis isn’t celebrating yet.
“It’s fantastic, but I havn’t thought about it, I’m going to get on with it a match at a time and sort my body out.” Willis said.
There was a chance that this day would never happen. Willis debated quitting the professional tour and travelling to America to work as a coach. His plans changed after he met his girlfriend Jennifer, who managed to persuade him to continue his career.
“I was adamant I was going to go to America to coach,” Willis admitted.
“I had called up someone about the visa — and then I met a girl. She basically told me I was an idiot and that I should keep going, and I’m very grateful for that.”
The outstanding win has set the 25-year-old up with a potential showdown with seven-time Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer. He will also rise 356 places in the rankings to a provisional position of 416.
How to celebrate your first #Wimbledon win, by Marcus Willis… https://t.co/QXxn8k7HbC
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 27 June 2016
Marcus Willis Facts
Age: 25
Titles: Eight on the Futures tour
Ranking best: 322 (2014)
