British teenage trio show glimpse of the future on Wimbledon debuts
Britain’s three female teenage wild cards introduced themselves to the Wimbledon crowds with merit despite all exiting the tournament on the opening day.
Mimi Xu, 17, and 16-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic all showed glimpses of their talent as they exited the senior draw against much higher-ranked players in SW19.
Xu garnered plenty support of her own, however, and made her presence felt with an impressive serve that reached speeds approaching 120mph at times.
Raducanu’s 6-3 6-3 victory was a job well done in the end, but Xu will surely have many more opportunities to further endear herself to tennis fans in SW19.
She said: “Obviously it’s not my dream debut, my dream debut would have definitely been to have won, but I’m so honored that this is my debut.
“I got to play on an amazing court with an amazing crowd, such a great atmosphere, against an amazing opponent.
“It’s really put belief in me, ignited a fire within me that I can do this, and I belong here.
“I just really wanted it to last a tiny bit longer, but I loved every single moment out there.”
Wimbledon local Klugman faced former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, ranked 38, on her first experience of the main draw and as the youngest British player at the tournament.
Though losing the first set 6-1 when taking time to find her feet in the sweltering heat, Klugman rallied in the second to give her 22-year-old opponent a little more to think about before an eventual 6-3 loss.
“I tried to enjoy it but it was tough today. Conditions were tough, it was hot.
“I’m disappointed a bit with how I played and also the outcome, there’s a lot to learn from it.”
Of the support she received from a home crowd assembled on her own doorstep, Klugman added: “I didn’t think it would be that amazing.
“I think it kind of got to me a little bit at one point, physically and mentally. That’s amazing having that many people behind me at such a young age.”
Stojsavljevic made her debut against the American Ashlyn Krueger, losing 6-3 6-2 to the 31st seed.