Williams, watched by her family in the stands, lost a heavy first set before leveling the match in the second on Central Court, the place of seven of her 23 Grand Slam titles in singles.
She broke up in the third, but Tan showed his resilience by hitting back to take an exciting final set in a tense tie-break.
“When I saw the draw, I was really scared,” Tan said after the match. “This is Serena Williams – she is a legend. I said to myself, “Oh God, how can I play?” And if I can win one or two games, that’s really good for me. “
She conveniently did more than her first appearance at Wimbledon and her ninth Grand Slam match.
The momentum shifted between the two players during the three-hour and 10-minute match – first in favor of Tan when she overcame the first set, and then to Williams when she reunited in the second.
It looked as if the 40-year-old Williams, who is playing his first singles match since last year’s Wimbledon, would win the deciding set as he served for the win.
But the memorable return would not be. Tan lost at 5-5 and although he failed to score at 6-5, he made no mistake when he had a second chance in the tiebreak.
“For my first Wimbledon, it’s a wow. Just wow, ”she said, trying to find the words to capture her emotions.
Williams played his first racing match in nearly a year in Eastbourne last week, partnering with Ons Jabeur in the doubles tournament. The pair reached the semifinals, but had to retire after Jabeur suffered a knee injury.
More to come …
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