Naiktha Bains and Maia Lumsden kept their dream doubles run alive after coming through a three-set battle to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Wildcard pairing Bains and Lumsden battled past Slovakian duo Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 to progress to the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time.
It looked as if the British pairing may have missed their opportunity against their former junior rivals, being forced into a decider after spurning a set and a break lead, though they rallied in the final set to clinch a well-deserved victory.
“It was tough losing that second set obviously, but I feel like we were confident with where we were at going into the third,” said Bains.
“I feel like it was just a matter of taking care of what we know we can do, and hopefully the result was going to come our way as well.
“The atmosphere was incredible. To be honest, I loved playing three sets out there as it meant we got to stay out there longer. It was the best court we’ve played on so far, it was packed. The fans were incredible, I just wish I could thank them all. It was just so much fun.”
Lumsden added: “I just think the energy we were getting, they were helping us. We were trying to fire each other up as much as we could, but we were also trying to use the crowd as well. When they make a lot of noise it’s such a good feeling.”
Bains and Lumsden are the first all-British pairing to reach the last eight of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon since 1983, when Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs made it all the way to the last four.
They will have to wait until Tuesday to find out who they will play in Wednesday’s quarter-final, with third seeds Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter likely last eight opponents.
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