A week ago, Solana Sierra was out of Wimbledon. Since then, she has picked up her fourth different room key as she keeps up her historic progress at the grass-court Grand Slam.
The 21-year-old Argentine has become the first ‘lucky loser’ in the Open Era to reach the women’s singles fourth round at the All England Club.
Lucky losers are players who lost in qualifying but end up in the main draw if others withdraw.
Sierra only got 15 minutes’ notice before her first-round match that she would be playing, following an injury to Belgium’s Greet Minnen.
And Sierra has grasped her opportunity with both hands, beating Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1 in the third round on Friday.
“I remember I was really sad that day [I lost in qualifying], and today is like the best day of my life,” she told BBC Sport.
“So it’s been really crazy. Seven days ago, I was out of the tournament, right now I’m into the second week. So it’s really crazy, and I’m just super happy.”
She is the first Argentinian woman since Paola Suarez in 2004 to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.
By getting to that stage, Sierra will take home a minimum of £240,000 in prize money, adding considerably to her £330,000 career earnings until this point.
“[I feel] super lucky,” said the world number 101, who beat Britain’s Katie Boulter in the second round. “But I think I also take the opportunity, and I really want to keep going and to keep dreaming in this tournament.”
Sierra has extended her latest accommodation booking until Tuesday, which means if she beats Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Sunday, she will still have somewhere to stay until the quarter-finals.
