Heather Watson happy despite loss to Maria Sharapova

British Heather Watson has said that she had “fun” playing against Maria Sharapova despite suffering defeat at the hands of the Russian.

The 19-year-old held her own in the encounter, winning the first set before losing the match.

Despite being unable to come through victorious, the former US Open champion admitted that she enjoyed the experience.

"I had a lot of fun today. It's what I want to do,” Sky Sports News quotes Watson as saying. “I want to be out there on the big courts playing the top players. It was a really great match, very competitive. We played some really great tennis.

"I absolutely loved the atmosphere. I thought everyone was going to be supporting Maria. She's won here before. She's been number one in the world.

"I had a lot of support. I heard some people calling me Cinderella, all sorts of stuff. And just when they were chanting my name, I kind of got the goosebumps. I thought, 'Stay calm, focus on the match'."

Meanwhile, Sharapova progresses to the next round to face Anastasiya Yakimova or Noppawan Lertcheewakarn.