LONDON – Solana Sierra didn’t plan on reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Her apartment booking ended after the qualifying rounds, where she lost in the final stage. But with hopes of making the main draw, the Argentine and her mother had to scramble to find new accommodation.
The tournament informed her just 15 minutes before her first-round match that she had to get on court. As a lucky loser, she advanced unexpectedly — and kept winning. And with each round, she had to keep changing Airbnb locations because her reservations didn’t cover enough time.
“It’s been crazy!” she told CLAY, laughing. “Especially because of the number of suitcases we have!”
“Maybe now I’ll book several days at once,” added the 21-year-old.
Sierra is having a completely unexpected run — so much so that she became the first lucky loser ever to reach the round of 16 in the tournament’s history.
“I got really lucky. I’m very happy to be here and I feel like I’m making the most of the opportunity,” she said. “When they told me I was going to play, I only had time to change clothes and talk to my team for five minutes. I had to get on court really quickly.”
“It was actually good it happened that way — I didn’t have time to overthink!” she confessed.
Her aggressive, confident game is winning over fans at the All England Club, in just her second-ever experience on grass (she played qualifying last year in Roehampton). This year, she arrived in London a week early to better prepare for the surface.
On Friday, in the third round, she beat Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 7-5, 1-6, 6-1. On Sunday, she’ll face Germany’s Laura Siegemund.
Sierra started the week ranked No. 101 in the WTA. With the points she’s already earned in London, she’s guaranteed to break into the top 70.
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Since Paola Suárez in 2004, no Argentine woman had reached the round of 16 in the Wimbledon singles draw. The list of Argentine women to reach the second week at Wimbledon is led by Gabriela Sabatini (finalist in 1991, semi-finalist in 1986, 1990 and 1992, quarter-finalist in 1987, 1993 and 1995), Norma Baylon (quarter-finalist in 1964), Inés Gorrochategui (1995), and Suárez (quarter-finals in 2004, round of 16 in 2003).
“My game suits grass well, and I also love playing in big stadiums. I enjoy it when there’s a lot of people cheering,” said Sierra after defeating Britain’s Katie Boulter on Court 1 in the second round. Until that match, she had never played in front of such a big crowd.
Sierra now lives in Mallorca and has been training since March at the Rafa Nadal Academy.
“The academy is amazing, they’re very professional. They’re helping me a lot, both on and off the court.”
Has she met Rafael Nadal?
“Just once. I said hi, and he said hi back.”
