British hope Katie Swan is the highest seed left standing in the girls’ singles draw after another day of upsets in the Junior Championships.
Shilin Xu, the No.2 seed, joined the growing list of casualties at SW19 this week, dismissed by Olesya Pervushina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in their second-round clash.
One set down and trailing 1-4 in the second, Xu was on a fast track for home but recovered to win the second set and forced her Russian opponent to a decider. Pervushina’s lopsided serving – she tallied nine aces and 12 double faults – hampered the Russian, but she eventually rallied to overcome her more-fancied Chinese opponent.
I'm just in love with it here. I don't want to come off the court
Fellow Russian Sofya Zhuk caused the other major upset of the day, defeating No.7 seed Charlotte Robillard-Millette 6-2, 7-5. Competing in just her second grass-court tournament – her first was at Roehampton last week, where she reached the round of 16 – Zhuk has swiftly developed a strong affinity for grass and is relishing her All England Club debut.
“It was a very good match. In the first set I felt the ball really good but in the second set it was a little bit harder because the wind started and she was playing better, so it was a little bit more difficult,” she said.
“I’m just in love with it here, I don’t want to come off the court. I’m enjoying it a lot, I can’t explain how much feelings I have to be here, it’s the best pleasure I’ve had. I’m in love with the grass, I never played on grass [before] so when I came here I was really excited.”
With the top four seeds all now dismissed, No.5 seed Swan will enter the third round as the highest rated player in the draw.
Swan easily accounted for Indonesia’s Deria Nur Haliza 6-1, 6-2, posting 19 winners to her opponent’s five in a dominating display on Court 19.
After losing the opening game of the match Swan fired three aces to hold serve in the second, then won the next five games in a row to take the first set. A break midway through the second set spelled the end for Nur Haliza.
“I’m pretty happy, it wasn’t easy conditions today. At the beginning it was raining a little bit and it was pretty windy but I enjoyed it, the crowd was really good and I’m happy I got through it,” Swan said.
The British rising star lost in the opening round of her Junior Championships debut in 2014, but has gained valuable experience in the 12 months since her last appearance at the All England Club.
A finalist at this year’s Australian Open Junior Championships and again at the prestigious Easter Bowl Championships at Indian Wells in April, Swan has returned to SW19 a more confident player. The in-form teenager competed in her first WTA event in Birmingham last month and reached the semi-finals at Roehampton in the lead-in to her Wimbledon campaign.
“It gives me quite a lot of confidence, last year was my first Grand Slam and I was really nervous and couldn’t really play because [my nerves] affected me a lot, but I’ve come back with a lot more experience,” she said. “I’ve played all four Grand Slams now and had some WTA experiences too, so it’s been really good and I’m doing well so far.”
The Bristol-born 16-year-old relocated her training to Wichita, Kansas two-and-a-half years ago but has not forgotten her British roots. “I’m British 100 per cent, even if I don’t sound it,” she laughed.
Swan and No.6 seed Usue Maitane Arconada are the only two top-eight seeds still alive in the draw after three days of junior competition. No.15 seed Pranjala Yadlapalli was the only other seed to tumble on Day 8, going down to American Michaela Gordon 6-2, 6-3.
