From lucky loser to Wimbledon standout, get to know Solana Sierra

A last-minute call, a borrowed warmup and a fearless run through the draw have turned heartbreak into history for 21-year-old Solana Sierra, who’s the first Argentine woman to reach this stage in 15 years.

WIMBLEDON -- Six days ago, Solana Sierra was in the depths of despair. The 21-year-old had lost from match point up in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying to Australia's Talia Gibson, dropping the last four games of the match from 5-3 up in the third set. That night, she says, she kept replaying the match point in her head. She was so sad she couldn't sleep.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

On Wednesday, Sierra's devastation turned into joy. Playing on Court No. 1, she took down home hope Katie Boulter 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-1.

For Sierra, Wimbledon marks a milestone for both her and her country. This week, she’s collected her first two tour-level wins and become the first Argentine woman to reach the third round here since Gisela Dulko in 2009. She’s also had to change accommodation three times already -- with a fourth move coming Wednesday night -- but at this point, she says, that’s a “good problem to have.”

On Monday. Sierra gained entry to the main draw at the last minute -- almost literally. Though she knew she was first in line for a lucky loser berth, she thought that if anyone was going to withdraw, they would have done so before the start of play. Then, a back injury forced Greet Minnen to pull out. Sierra, who was eating in the player restaurant at the time, had just 15 minutes' warning to put her match clothes on, do a five-minute warmup, then head out on court.

Déjà vu almost struck in that match, against Olivia Gadecki -- another Australian. Sierra served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but missed four match points in that game before converting her sixth for a 6-2, 7-6(8) victory.

"I was thinking, 'Not again,'" she said. "But it was good that I stayed positive mentally and closed in the tiebreak."

That's one of the reasons Sierra played "really free" against Boulter. After two such emotionally draining matches, she simply felt no pressure as she notched her second career Top 50 win. She'll next play Spain's Cristina Bucsa, with a spot in a first Grand Slam fourth round at stake for both players.

Here's more on Sierra:

She has been training at the Rafa Nadal Academy since March

Sierra has put together a formidable 33-12 record this year, including her first WTA 125 title in Antalya in March and two more ITF trophies. Not coincidentally, she's also been based at the Rafa Nadal Academy on Mallorca since March.

"The academy is super good," she said. "They're really professional, and they're helping me with my game and the stuff outside the court."

Having started 2025 ranked No. 167, Sierra cracked the Top 100 for the first time two weeks ago.

"It was a goal that I had since I started to play tennis," she said.

Former US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini is a favorite

When asked for the Argentinian players who have most inspired her, Sierra doesn't hesitate.

"[Gabriela] Sabatini, of course!" she replied. "The best!"

Sierra is also a fan of compatriots Juan Martin del Potro and Diego Schwartzman, whom she grew up watching. But Sabatini retired in 1996 -- eight years before Sierra was born.

"I watched on YouTube some videos of her," she said. "I really liked her personality -- it was really nice to watch."

She is a big-stage player who's played her best tennis at Slams

All of Sierra's tour-level main draws to date have been majors. She qualified for the US Open last year, then repeated the feat at Roland Garros this year. Wimbledon marks the first time she has won main-draw matches at this level. Going back to 2022, she was also the Roland Garros junior runner-up.

"I like to be in the biggest stadiums with the crowd," she said. "They're the best tournaments, I love to compete here and I loved every moment."

She is a relative grass-court novice -- but has taken to the surface

This Wimbledon marks just the fourth tournament Sierra has ever played on grass, including a pair of junior outings in 2021 where she tallied only one win. She fell in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying in 2024, but ahead of her return this year committed to a week of proper practice on the surface.

"I didn't have to adjust much," she said. "Just to stay lower. "Now, I think my game suits the grass."

She has a reward in mind for her work this week

Sierra turned 21 on June 17, the day after she broke into the Top 100 for the first time. That was a decent present, but Sierra had her eyes on another.

"I wanted to buy a necklace for my birthday," she said. "I didn't, because it was too expensive."

Sierra's unexpected windfall as a lucky loser is now £152,000 -- nearly quadruple the £41,500 she would have earned from making the final qualifying round. No wonder that, with a glint in her eye, she says that she's now thinking about that necklace again.

Click here to read article