Harriet Dart was ‘dead already’ as Brit reacts to Australian Open win after late call-up

Lucky loser Harriet Dart claimed she was “dangerous” because she was “dead already” after fighting off injury and cramp to win her first main draw match at the for five years.

The British No.4 lost in the final round of qualifying but was handed a late place after play had already started at 11am here when former champion Marketa Vondrousova withdrew.

Dart got her left calf strapped in the second set during a medical timeout and held back tears as she cramped up in the match tiebreak against Croatian Jana Fett.

But the Londoner, who saved two match points in the final set, fought back to win 7-5 2-6 7-6 for only her second main draw win here. She will now face semi-finalist Donna Vekic.

“When you get a chance, you really want to take it, and I was just really happy to get over the line today,” Dart said.

“I think whether I’m a lucky loser or play one, you know they’re dangerous, because you were kind of dead already, you get a bit of a chance and try and use it to your advantage.

“All these players play great. No one’s going to give any matches to you. You’ve got to work very hard to get through the line, and that was very much the case today. I thought it was a really good match. It was pretty hot out there, and I took my chances when I had them. I was just,really pleased to be able to fight through that.”

Dart spent all day on site on Sunday and was in the locker room when she got the late call to play. “I was just chilling,” she said. “I had already practiced, so I knew there was potentially one. You see how a couple people are, and you kind of have the eye on certain things. Until someone actually withdraws, it’s pretty difficult to be in the zone

“The first match was already on when I was told, so the notice was not that long, but because it was a men’s match gives you a little bit more time.”

And the fan blamed her unusual preparation for her physical problems on a warm, windy day in the Victorian capital.

And there were 19 breaks of serve and 42 break points in the match which lasted three hours and 14 minutes. “I’m not sure what I have done to the calf but something. I was just cramping, I think, just fatigue and combination of things. Yesterday I was here from 9:30 in the morning till half 9:00 at night. It was a long day. It’s tiring. You don’t really do that much, but somehow you’re tired.”

Dart beat No.18 seed Vekic in their only previous meeting at Nottingham in 2022 – and she will be better prepared to face this Croatian.

“I watched my doubles partner (Diane Parry) play her yesterday so I watched the whole match. That’s quite funny. She’s a great player, had an amazing year last year. She’s a ball striker, and I look forward to it.’