Harriet Dart emerged victorious from a fiercely-contested Wimbledon second-round clash with compatriot Katie Boulter on Thursday in a match that pitted Britain's No. 1 and No. 2-ranked women against each other.
Dart's 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8) win in a three-set thriller that went to a dramatic 10-point tie break, was just her second against No. 1 Boulter. The pair, who were born four days apart in 1996, had never previously faced off at a major and Boulter had never before been beaten by a fellow Brit.
The Billie Jean Cup teammates wrestled for control of the match in the opening games as both surrendered opportunities to convert break points. However, a crucial missed backhand from Dart in the fifth gave Boulter a 3-2 advantage that she converted into a set lead via her impressive service game.
But Dart came roaring back in the second, taking just 17 minutes to go 4-0 up, allowing a solitary game to slip before taking the match to a deciding third set.
A marathon fifth game in which Dart converted break point at the sixth time of asking seemed as if it would prove decisive, but Boulter rediscovered her form at the vital moment, breaking back in the eighth to level the scores at 4-4.
There was still nothing to separate the players after 12 games in the third set and almost three hours' worth of play on No. 1 Court, resulting in a 10-point tie break that Dart edged 10-8 to move into the third round at the expense of her higher-ranked compatriot.
Earlier on Thursday, Lily Miyazaki's singles campaign ended in the second round as she was thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Russia's Daria Kasatkina on Court 18.
Fourteenth seed Kasatkina, winner of last week's Eastbourne title, was in a merciless mood as she dispatched Miyazaki in less than an hour.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report
