Wimbledon 2012: Watson Overawed by Faultless Radwanska

Heather Watson was overpowered and overwhelmed by Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets as her Wimbledon dream was crushed in the third round at the All-England Club.

Having earned her first ever victories at SW19, Watson began nervously against Radwanska, with an error-strewn opening set which the Polish player took 6-0.

The second set saw Watson get two games on the board, before Radwanska overpowered the Brit in a 58-minute blitz  to reach the second week at Wimbledon where she is expected to be one of the main protagonists come the latter stages.

Watson cut a forlorn figure in her third round defeat.

In her maiden third round match at a grand slam, Watson was looking to become the first British women to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since 1998, following straight sets wins over Iveta Benesova and Jamie Hampton in the opening two rounds.

However, she quickly found herself on the back foot as Radwanska, who has enjoyed a sparkling 2012 with wins in United Arab Emirates, Miami and Brussels, made the most of a series of errors from the British No.4

Watson was broken three times in the opening set and made 12 unforced errors to hand Radwanska the first set without registering a game.

The Polish No.3 seed was only forced into hitting two winners in the opening exchanges, as Watson, in just her second match on centre court, floundered under the pressure.

The 20 year old began the second set in similarly nervous fashion, losing her serve immediately, as Radwanska, a two-time Wimbledon quarter finalist, continued to benefit from Watson's rising unforced error count.

Radwanska cruised through to round four in straight sets.

The current world No.3 combined pressure from the baseline with the ability to mix up her ground strokes, moving Watson around the court effectively, allowing the young pretender no rhythm from which to form a challenge

Watson did eventually get herself on the board in the fourth game of the set, and then again in the sixth with comfortable service games, but it only worked to delay the inevitable, as after she saved one match-point, Radwanska converted the second to break again and take the second set 6-2.

The Guernsey-born player will be left to reflect on a singles campaign which saw her become the most successful British female at Wimbledon for ten years, which will undoubtedly see her rise into the world's top 100.

Radwanka will meanwhile go on to play either Nadia Petrova or Camila Giorgi in round four and will possess a genuine threat in the second week as she hunts down a first ever grand slam title.