Sierra needed to go through the qualifiers to access the singles main draw, but fell at the final hurdle, losing to Australian Talia Gibson in three sets. However, players who lost at the last round of qualifiers are encouraged to remain in the country, as they’re the first to access the draw if any qualified players drop out. With just an hour remaining until the start of the tournament, German Greet Minnen dropped out and Sierra was selected as the “lucky loser” to face Gadecki.

What followed was a masterful demonstration, as Sierra took an early and commanding lead, winning the first set 6-2. The second was a much tighter affair, where she faced four set points for Gadecki. She held, and went on to win 10-8 in the second set tiebreak.

Sierra’s win is the first for an Argentine in women’s singles at a Grand Slam since Nadia Podoroska’s at the 2024 Australian Open.

She will now face the tough challenge of a player on home turf. Katie Boulter awaits in the second round, after she beat world number nine Paula Badosa, from Spain, by 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

Sierra’s passion for tennis started at a young age, in her........

© Buenos Aires Herald