Britain's Katie Boulter dedicated the biggest win of her career to her late Grandma after she overcame sixth seed Karolina Pliskova at Wimbledon.
Despite losing the first set 6-3, Boulter, 25, took a second-set tie-break to level matters. She was more of the aggressor in the decider, and at 4-4, got the decisive break before holding her nerve to seal victory and send the Centre Court crowd into raptures.
The upset win means she will play in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. And in her post-match interview, an emotional Boulter said: "I've got absolutely no words right now I'm literally shaking. The crowd was unbelievable so thank you so much for getting me through that.
"Honest, it's a dream come true for me. Hopefully I've got more matches to play and if I've got you guys [the crowd] behind me then hopefully I can go a long way."
The world No 118, a ranking defied by her supreme display, was seen frequently glancing up at family members during the match. And she revealed there was a poignant reason driving her to succeed: "I'd like to dedicate that win to my Grandma who died two days ago," she added, holding back tears.
Boulter was impressive in her first-round win over French player Clara Burel, but despite coming through in straight sets, wasn't expected to trouble Pliskova. The former world No 1 was a runner-up at SW19 last year, beaten by the now retired Ash Barty.
And sure enough, it was the Czech star who took command in the opening set, only for Boulter to break early in the second. Pliskova responded in kind though, and the pair went toe-to-toe thereafter to force a tie-break.
Boulter surged into a 4-0 lead, only for her more esteemed opponent to take the next three points. The British player held her nerve though, eventually taking it 7-4 to square matters.
Sure enough, it was the Leicester-born player who then seemed to move in for the kill, frequently pushing to hit winners with Pliskova on the ropes. And at 4-4, she finally broke to huge cheers from the crowd.
At 30-30, Pliskova then netted to hand Boulter match point. And a big first serve duly followed, forcing her opponent into a lofted return which she duly put away to book her place in round three.
Boulter will now play Harmony Tan, who beat Sara Sorribes Tormo after conquering Serena Williams in a dramatic late-night match on Tuesday. That clash will take place on Saturday.
And joining her in the third round will be Heather Watson, who needed just one game to finish off her match against Wang Qiang. Leading 7-5 5-4 overnight, she immediately broke serve to set up a clash with South Korea's Kaja Juvan.
