Wimbledon 2022 quarterfinal: Ajla Tomljanovich defeated by Elena Rybakina

Ajla Tomljanovic went down swinging in her Wimbledon quarter final but, unlike Nick Kyrgios, she has won over the fans at the All England Club with her grit and grace, Julian Linden writes.

The frustration sets in for Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic. Picture: Getty Images

Alja Tomljanovic’s fairytale run at Wimbledon is over after she suffered a heartbreaking loss in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.

As brave as they come, Tomljanovic went down swinging against the highly-rated Elena Rybakina, losing 4-6 6-2 6-3 in a gruelling contest that went the distance on court 1.

It is the second year in a row Tomljanovic has bowed out in the quarters at Wimbledon but she can hold her head high because she’s one Australian the whole country can be proud of.

Unlike her former boyfriend Nick Kyrgios, Tomljanovic has won over the fans at Wimbledon with her grit and grace on court — and without any hint of scandal or bad behaviour.

There were plenty of moments of brilliance from Tomljanovic. Picture: AFP

Following in the footsteps of Ash Barty is an impossible task but the underrated Tomljanovic has done a great job of it since taking over as the country’s highest-ranked female player.

She was knocked out by Barty in the quarters one year ago when the then-world No.1 went on to win the biggest prize in women’s tennis.

Tomljanovic has had to fly the Aussie flag alone, this time.

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“I’m really proud of the fact that I managed to play back-to-back quarters. I think that’s something that I’ll be proud of no matter what,” Tomljanovic said.

“But a bit of a different feeling than last year just because I really felt like I was in this match. I came in really believing that I could win, where maybe that wasn’t the case last year. That’s what’s just extra disappointing.

“But the good thing is that I’m playing good tennis, and I don’t see why I can’t put myself out there again in the next slam or whenever. I definitely think it’s been a step forward, and I can just build off of that.”

Tomljanovic’s game was on song in the first set. Picture: AFP

The 29-year-old was the only Australian woman to get past the first round this year and has fought tooth and nail in each of her matches since, despite all the off-court distractions at Wimbledon this year.

One of them involved her own father Ratko — who has insisted on booking her accommodation for only one match at a time to save money.

The frustration sets in for Tomljanovic. Picture: Getty Images

She’s laughed it off with good humour while leaving her doting dad frantically scrolling through booking sites to secure extra nights — which isn’t easy during Wimbledon.

Tomljanovic has shown the same dogged determination in each of her matches and, for a while, she looked like she would get over the top of Rybakina, the 17th seed from Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina roared back into the contest after a slow start. Picture: AFP

Rybakina is one of the biggest servers in the women’s game.

She fired 15 aces past Tomljanovic, including one rocket in the second set that the speed gun measured at 194 km/h.

Tomljanovic broke her serve early to win the opening set and again late in the deciding third set when she led 5-1 and tried to serve out the match but Rybakina made no mistake on her next service game, sealing the win with another ace right down the middle.

She advanced to the semis and will face Simona Halep, the 2019 Wimbledon champion.

Elena Rybakina shows off the supreme reach that makes her one of the world’s finest tennis players. Picture: AFP

“I lost. I never like losing. But I think the biggest thing it does is just for my confidence and my belief when I step on the court,” Tomljanovic said.

“The biggest difference was that I came on Court 1 and I played against a player that is really good.

“I didn’t get intimidated by her high level and I didn’t back down. I didn’t start questioning, Can I keep up? Which last year that was the case against Ash.

“When I got down, I was like, Oh, there’s no way I can get myself out of that. Today that wasn’t the case. That’s huge for me.

“I’m going to find myself playing the top players again soon. It’s about problem solving out there. You can’t problem solve if you don’t believe.”