Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic has reached her first-ever grand slam quarter-final at Wimbledon, but admits how sorry she was about the "really sad" manner in which she reached the milestone against ailing British teenager Emma Raducanu.
The 18-year-old wildcard Raducanu, who's become Britain's new sporting darling with her fairytale run to the last 16, had to pull out on Monday with breathing problems when 6-3 3-0 down to the Aussie No.2 in a late evening match on No.1 Court.
The drama overshadowed the excellence of Tomljanovic's breakthrough win, with the 28-year-old admitting she was shocked for the youngster who not long ago finished her school exams.
Yet Tomljanovic, who has little time to recover before being thrown into the biggest match of her career against compatriot and world No.1 Ash Barty on Tuesday, also took time out to give herself "a pat on the back".
"Even though the circumstances were like this tonight, it is the biggest achievement so far in my career," said the Croatian-born player, who reached the last-eight at a slam at the 27th time of asking.
"I'm unbelievably proud of myself that I'm here. I didn't think I would be in a way. I didn't think these two weeks would be my breakthrough. Now that they are, it's kind of surreal.
"No matter the outcome tomorrow (against Barty), I'm probably never going to forget this."
Raducanu's problems seemed to start early in the second set, when she started clutching at her stomach.
She was treated by a trainer and doctor, and had to go off court to be treated for a complaint that appeared to have cropped up at the start of the second set.
The world No.338, who'd only ever played one tour match before her great Wimbledon run, was not well enough to return to the court and there were no updates later about her condition.
"I am really sorry for her, I wish we could have finished it. I am wishing her all the best," Tomljanovic told the crowd, admitting how shocked she was.
Cheered on by her boyfriend Matteo Berrettini, who had also reached the quarters of the men's event earlier in the day and seemed to be anxiously living every moment with her, Tomljanovic's 10 years of hardened professional experience proved the difference in a tight affair.
Taking everything the talented youngster could throw at her - and all the cheers that greeted Raducanu's every point gleaned - she had a right to feel like Wimbledon's public enemy No.1 but in the two key games at the end of the first set, she was a rock.
She saved two break points at 4-4 to forge her lead, before playing an excellent attacking game to force errors from the Briton and take the set in 50 minutes.
Raducanu's struggles really began then as she started to clutch at her stomach but she battled on gamely until the changeover at 3-0 when she could get medical assistance.
It was the second match running that Tomljanovic had been a bystander amid a medical timeout drama, following Saturday's win over Jelena Ostapenko, who she claimed had been lying when she said she had an injury problem.
This case, it was clear to her, was very different. "I can't imagine how she must be feeling having to pull out," said Tomljanovic. "Being down 6-4, 3-love, you can come back from that quickly, especially on grass.
"It's really sad that she had to do that. I do feel sorry."
© AAP 2021