Wimbledon 2025: Oliver Tarvet comes through qualifying to secure main draw spot for the first time
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Oliver Tarvet will be making his debut in the Wimbledon main draw next week after coming through a four set battle in the final round of qualifying.
The Brit, who was given a wild card for the qualifying draw, saw off the 29th seed Alexander Blockx 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 across two hours and 37 minutes.
Blockx was the second seeded player the Brit dispatched across his three qualifying matches after easing past 14th seed Terence Atmane 6-1, 7-6(2) in his opening match. The 21-year-old also defeated world No.210 Alexis Galarneau in another straight set win in the second round – winning 6-3, 6-2.
Speaking after the match the 21-year-old was emotional, mentioning his surprise at coming through every round of qualifying to reach the main draw of a major tournament for the first time in his career.
“It’s a great feeling qualifying for your first Slam. This is my first Grand Slam - winning on Monday was something I didn’t really expect and then winning on Wednesday and again today, kind of just kept on surprising me. I was confident with the work I put in at the University of San Diego for the last three years.
“I’ve been putting good day after good day of practice so it’s really nice that it all came together in the most important time of the year for me - it’s a really good feeling.”
Tarvet has been playing in America as part of the NCAA collegiate system, and has been attending the University of San Diego where he won the singles and doubles title at the 2024 ITA Singles All-American Championships.
Looking ahead to the main draw at Wimbledon - starting on Monday 30 June - the Brit is excited to be playing in his home Slam after visiting the tournament as a child but is looking to keep his expectations low and take in the experience as it comes.
“As a kid, we used to go every year with either my parents or my sister," he added. "I played tennis growing up and was pretty good as a little kid so it was something I looked forward to in July time coming down to Wimbledon and seeing the pros.
“I’m going to enjoy a nice rest day tomorrow that’s for sure, there have been a lot of emotions the last four days but it’s really special. Playing Wimbledon for the first time, you just take it day by day and that’s the main thing. It was my first best of five (set match) today and it’s something I knew I was ready for and I’ve just got to have that same confidence and belief heading into Monday or Tuesday.”
It was a big dream of mine, it seemed so far away when I was a little kid but now it’s a reality, and it’s a great feeling.
Tarvet navigated a tight opening set, grabbing an early break before the Belgian opponent leveled the score. The Brit held his nerve, recovering his lead before calmly closing out the set.
With just one break in the second set going the way of the 29th seed, it was all to play for in as they battled deep into their first best-of-five-set match of the competition.
Despite a rain delay interrupting the third, Tarvet ramped up the intensity, racing to a 4-0 lead. Though he struggled to land his first serves in, Tarvet looked to unleash on the return - winning 73% (10/13) of points off of Blockx second serve on his way to securing a crucial double break and the third set.
Building on this momentum, the Brit looked unstoppable as he sealed his seventh consecutive game to take a commanding 5-0 lead. A few nerves crept in when serving out the match – an untimely double fault brought the score to 30-30 - but Tarvet composed himself, nailing just his fifth ace of the match secured the win and a spot in the main draw.
Elsewhere, Emily Appleton and Hamish Stewart both missed out on a main draw place after falling short in their third round matches.
Catch up on full results and updates from all the Brits at this year's Wimbledon Qualifying.
