Seven years between appearances makes for a long and uncertain wait, but it was worth every second of it for Ajla Tomljanovic.

The 28-year-old secured a maiden berth in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Saturday, her 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Eastbourne champion Jelena Ostapenko sweet vindication for ample perseverance.

Trailing a set and a break, the Australian staged a dramatic comeback to deny the Latvian in a feisty showdown, which booked a fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam for the first time since Roland-Garros in 2014.

This was uncharted territory for the world No.75, having never passed the second round at the All England Club in six prior appearances and, in her 27th Grand Slam main draw showing, only the second time she had won more than a single match.

“Maybe I expected more from myself over the years and at the same time, putting in a lot of work. So I'm kind of waiting for that moment,” Tomljanovic said.

“It got to me. I think, you know, at the age of 27 it definitely got to me where I'm, like, ‘Well, when is it going to happen? When is it going to click? Then you question a lot of things.

“So there were so many small steps that I had to take over the last year where, you know, wins that maybe to someone don't look big but to me were so precious. Making the fourth round here is just such a huge pat on the back to myself and the people around me that saw it. I'm very proud of that, no matter how I go from here.”

A glimpse of undeniable potential was once again on show in Birmingham leading in, where she derailed top seed Elise Mertens in the first round before former Wimbledon semi-finalist Coco Vandeweghe ended that run.

And it was so close, but oh so far, at the Australian Open in February, when she had Simona Halep on the ropes in the second round, only to come up agonisingly short.

Where Halep’s consistency under pressure proved pivotal in that clash under lights, there was scarcely any threat of that against the hot-and-cold Ostapenko.

The 24-year-old – a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2018 and a quarter-finalist the year before – was not only firing on all cylinders of late but finding the mark, and at 6-4, 2-0 threatened to cruise through.

Her tracer scope was locked and she had frequently found the target, before a bizarre misjudgment of range ensued.

Having challenged a fault on serve, a sharp look of bewilderment was fired in her mum’s direction when she discovered it was more than a foot long.

A dip in concentration was always a lingering threat for a free-swinging player with such fine margins and it came for Ostapenko two games later when she surrendered the break back on a double fault.

It emboldened Tomljanovic as she snuck her nose in front for the first time in either set and pounced when her first opportunity to level presented itself as she rifled a backhand return to draw the error.

The wheels had not so much wobbled as completely come off their axles for the Latvian as Tomljanovic reeled off her 11th straight point on a hefty backhand winner.

The roars of frustration began and increased in frequency from the far end and no sooner had Tomljanovic landed the double break for 4-0 than Ostapenko called for off-court treatment for an abdominal injury.

It would be a nervous wait for the Australian until her opponent made her way back on to court.

Despite three straight breaks, including one failed attempt to serve it out, Tomljanovic joined boyfriend Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round, the Italian an earlier winner over Slovenian Aljaz Bedene.

Tomljanovic now plays British teenager Emma Raducanu 

“Emma has been playing great. I haven't seen her play much, but I saw a few highlights from the match with Sorana Cirstea. She seems like a really solid baseliner, big game,” Tomljanovic said. “How great is it to make fourth round when you're 18 in your home Slam? It's unbelievable.

“She will definitely have the crowd, but I think it will be my first experience on a bigger court in Wimbledon, so, crowd, no crowd, I think it's going to be so fun for me just go out there and play.”

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