What is lucky loser in tennis and how Solana Sierra used the chance to reach Wimbledon 2nd week: All about the World No. 101's surreal London run

Lucky loser Solana Sierra continued her fairytale run at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, booking a spot in the fourth round with a three-set win over Cristina Bucsa. It marked the second occurrence at Slams this year that a player who lost in the qualification rounds has made it to the second week of the tournament, the first being Eva Lys at the Australian Open.

But what is a lucky loser entry, and how does it make a deep run at Slams even more special for players who are awarded the privilege? Before we take a look at Sierra's Wimbledon heroics, let's first understand how the specifics of a lucky loser entry into the main draw work.

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How do lucky loser entries work?

Lucky loser entries provide second chance to players who have lost in the qualification rounds. (Source: Getty)

A lucky loser entry is awarded to players who lost in the qualification rounds of a tournament after last-minute withdrawals from the main draw. In other words, if a player from the main draw withdraws, mostly due to unforeseen injuries or illnesses, the spot that opens up is filled with a player from the qualification draw.

The procedure to award lucky loser entry varies between Grand Slams and Tour events. At Grand Slam, the chances of a player receiving a lucky loser entry into the draw are random. If a lucky loser spot opens, a lucky draw is conducted with all players who lost in the final round of qualification, and the winner enters the main draw.

The process is more streamlined at Tour events, with the highest-ranking player to have lost in the final round of qualifying usually receiving the lucky loser entry. That, however, is the case if the lucky loser entry opens up after the end of qualification rounds.

If a player from the main draw withdraws from the tournament before the completion of the qualifiers, a lucky draw is carried out. The draw, however, varies from the one in Grand Slams. If only one main-draw withdrawal occurs before the completion of qualifying, the two highest-ranked losers in the final round of qualifying go into a random draw. Similarly, if two main-draw withdrawals occur, the random draw is conducted between the three highest-ranked losers in the final round of qualifying, and so on.

Earlier, the highest-ranked players to lose in the final round of qualifying would automatically get the lucky loser entry at events across the board. That, however, raised concerns over the competitiveness of the qualifying rounds. Players who were the highest ranked in the final round of qualifying, if aware of a lucky loser, would automatically lose stakes in winning their match since they were anyway guaranteed a spot in the main draw. That prompted the changes in rules.

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Solana Sierra makes the best of her second chance at Wimbledon

Solana Sierra at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. (Source: Getty)

As is often the case, Solana Sierra learned about her lucky loser entry into the 2025 Wimbledon main draw only 15 minutes before taking to the court in the first round. With very little time to dwell upon the magnitude of her SW19 debut, she played with a sense of freedom that saw her take out Australia's Olivia Gadecki for a maiden Grand Slam main draw win.

"Crazy," Solana Sierra said of her lucky loser entry into the main draw in an interview with the Wimbledon. "Because I was already out of the tournament but yeah, I'm super happy that I took the opportunity."

"I didn't have too much time," she added. "I just changed, we took five minutes and then entered the court. But it was good because I didn't think too much."

The adrenaline is yet to wane as the Argentine has since gone on to take out the likes of Katie Boulter and Cristina Bucsa to enter the second week at the grasscourt Slam.

Sierra has played on big courts before, the junior Girls' Singles final at the French Open in 2022, but the packed Court 1 crowd during her encounter against home hope Katie Boulter was by far her biggest yet. The youngster handled the hostility of playing against a home crowd well, and by the end, even fans had warmed up to her. After all, everyone appreciates an endearing underdog story.

"I was more nervous before the match but when I stepped on the court I was just really happy to be on that court," Solana Sierra sod of the experience. "I enjoyed every moment."

And with another win under her belt, Solana Sierra's stay at Wimbledon will be further extended. She joked about having to keep shifting AirBnB homes since her booking expired at the end of the qualifiers and again earlier this week, but that's a problem she was happy to have as long as the wins kept coming. She will take on another surprise second-week entrant in the form of Laura Siegemund for a spot in the quarterfinals.