Japanese veteran player Kimiko Date-Krumm continues to make her own mark at the women’s tour despite her age of 42.
She became the oldest woman in the Open Era to reach the third round of the Wimbledon Championships. The Open era started in 1968.
Date-Krumm defeated Romania’s Alexandra Cadantu on Thursday 6-4, 7-5 to earn her right to face world number one and defending champion Serena Williams in the third round.
“I’m very happy to be in the third round, especially since I love Wimbledon and have many good memories here,” Date-Krumm said. “I think it’s amazing. I cannot believe it. But this year I skipped a lot of the clay court season so I could focus on the grass. And luckily this year I didn’t play a seeded player in the first round, because most of the time I did. It’s working. I’m very happy.”
The Japanese athlete has had success at Wimbledon in the past, having reached the semifinals in 1996 where she lost to eventual champion Steffi Graf.
