HARRIET DART blew two match points on serve as she slipped to an agonising defeat to reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova today at a rain-affected Eastbourne Open.

Following two suspensions of play in the opening set due to wet weather, the British number four battled blustery conditions to move to the brink of one of the greatest wins of her career.

But Krejcikova, who defeated Jasmine Paolini in last year’s Wimbledon final, survived a first-round shock by hitting back to progress 6-3 6-7 (4) 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes.

The second seed will face another Briton in round two following Jodie Burrage’s 6-3 6-2 win over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.

Dart did little to hide her frustration at failing to capitalise on the pair of match-clinching opportunities against the 2021 French Open champion, letting out a piercing scream as the following game slipped away.

The 28-year-old has only twice defeated opponents with a higher ranking than Krejcikova’s current status of world number 17.

She upset 2024 Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina, who was then ranked ninth, in the first round of the 2022 US Open before beating then-world number 13 Paula Badosa later that year at the Billie Jean King Cup.

In the first round of the men’s draw, British qualifier George Loffhagen lost 7-6 (6) 3-6 7-6 (1) to American Reilly Opelka.