Of the 8 British women in the 1st-round of the 128-player qualifying draw, competing for 16 spots in the main draw at The Championships at Wimbledon, only 3 made it into round 2 on Tuesday.
Playing at the Community Sport Centre in Roehampton, Hannah Klugman, Amarni Banks, and Sonay Kartal managed to register wins. 15-year-old Klugman knocked out Croatia’s Petra Marcinko, 6-2 6-2 in just 56 minutes, while Banks produced an impressive come-back against a multiple Grand Slam doubles champion, Kristina Mladenovic from France, 4-6 6-4 6-2, and Kartal beat World No 137 Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, 7-6(6) 6-4.
Klugman lost just 4 points on her first serve in her dominant win, and will play Linda Fruhvirtova, the 28th seed from the Czech Republic, who toiled over defeating Australia’s Priscilla Hon, 3-6 7-6(1) 7-6(7).
The teenager grew up playing at nearby Westside Tennis Club, just a mile away from the Centre Court, still lives in Wimbledon, and trains at the National Tennis Centre, which is just over the fence from the Qualifying courts in Roehampton.
“It was really special, Wimbledon is always special for me because I live there so I had all my family around,” Klugman said after her win. “I love being supported with the crowds, I do thrive in those sorts of situations.
“I’m still young, so I’m taking it step by step, and just accepting some weeks won’t be as good as others, I’m still learning that.
Amarni Banks come from behind to beat Kristina Mladenovic in 3 sets
Wild-card Banks trailed by a set and a break before claiming her win over Mladenovic, striking 13 winners in the deciding set as she wrapped up the match with a double break.
“I’m over the moon, this is my first Slam at a senior level and I absolutely loved it,” Banks said. “The cheer at the end of the second set sent goosebumps through me. I think this is the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of, I really enjoyed that atmosphere.
Next up, Banks will play American Kayla Day, the 26th seed, who was a 6-2 6-1 winner over Iryna Shymanovich from Belarus.
Kartal, who featured in the main draw over the past two seasons, and also received a wild-card into qualifying, rose to the occasion by impressively dismissing Lamens, the No 31 seed, in straight sets.
A quarter-finalist at the Lexus Ilkley Trophy last week, Kartal will look to continue her solid form against China’s Sija Wei in the next round, a 6-4 6-0 winner over Justina Mikuskyte from Lithuania.
Meanwhile, Emily Appleton was the first British woman to exit Wimbledon qualifying when she lost out to France’s Elsa Jacquemot, 3-6 6-3 6-4, after an hour and 50-minute tussle.
Olivia Gadecki carded one of the standout results of the day, as 7 Australian women marched into round 2, led by the 22-year-old, who upset 6th seed and World No 100 Maria Timofeeva from Russia, 6-1 6-3.
Among the other Aussies making the next stage was Kimberly Birrell, who saw off Dutchwoman Arianne Hartono, 6-1 7-6(6), for her 12th grass-court win from 15 matches in the past month, while there was also an impressive win for 18-year-old debutant Maya Joint, who took out Romanian Andreea Mitu, 6-2 6-3, an opponent 14 years her senior.
“I’m super excited,” said Joint, who next takes on 20th-seeded American McCartney Kessler. “It’s my first Wimbledon, so it’s really great to get a win. I wasn’t really expecting anything.”
Destanee Aiava racked up her first victory at Wimbledon in 7 years when the 24-year-old from Melbourne came through against Ukrainian Anastasiya Soboleva, 6-3 6-3. Court 1 at Roehampton as Ladies’ Qualifying action commences ahead of The Championships
