Former Shrewsbury Club semi-finalist Harmony Tan through to last 16 at Wimbledon

Harmony Tan, who is through to the fourth round of the ladies’ singles at Wimbledon, impressed Shropshire tennis fans by reaching the semi-finals of a tournament at The Shrewsbury Club earlier in her career.

Tan hit the headlines by enjoying a stunning victory against Serena Williams, the winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, in a first round thriller on Centre Court last week.

The rising French star has followed it up with wins over Sara Sorribes Tormo from Spain and British player Katie Boulter, both in straight sets, to book a place in the last 16.

Tan, 24, will now be hoping to book a quarter-final spot when she faces American Amanda Anisimova today (Monday).

Tan, whose world ranking at the start of Wimbledon was 115, hinted at her potential in front of local tennis followers when she entered the Budgen Motors World Tennis Tour W60 Shrewsbury tournament in 2019.

A fine run saw her progress to the semi-finals before being beaten by Yanina Wickmayer, once ranked as high as 12 in the world, in the last four.

Dave Courteen, The Shrewsbury Club’s managing director, well remembers the quality of the performances produced by Tan on the indoor courts at the Sundorne Road venue.

He has been keeping a close eye on her progress in SW19 as Tan continues to impress at her first Wimbledon Championships.   

He said: “To see Harmony Tan playing so well at Wimbledon and beating legends like Serena Williams just underlines the quality of players that we attract to the tournaments we so enjoy staging at The Shrewsbury Club.

“It’s been interesting to follow the fortunes of so many players to have played at Shrewsbury earlier in their careers during the first week at Wimbledon. 

“There’s been plenty of notable results in both the singles and doubles.

“Harmony enjoyed an excellent week when she played in Shrewsbury three years ago and played some brilliant tennis to reach the semi-finals.

“That was a W60 tournament, so we are excited about who will feature on the entry list when we host a W100 tournament later this year."

Having been selected by the LTA, The Shrewsbury Club continue to prepare to host a prestigious $100,000 women’s tennis tournament in October.

The new International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour event is expected to feature leading British and international stars.

Pictured: Harmony Tan playing at The Shrewsbury Club during her run to the semi-finals of the Budgen Motors World Tennis Tour W60 Shrewsbury tournament in 2019. Picture: Richard Dawson Photography.