Tennis / News
Two Bristol tennis players reach second round of junior Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu may have been eliminated from Wimbledon but there are still rising tennis stars to get behind who are flying the flag for Great Britain – and Bristol.
Charlie Swaine and Luke Hooper, both from our city, have reached the second round of the boys’ singles at the grass-court grand slam and will face their next opponents on Wednesday at 10.30am.
18-year-old Hooper credited his success with having supporters including friends from Bristol watching him.
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Swaine, 17 said he was “buzzing” to play the tournament which has “always been a dream to play”.
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Swaine beat 12th seed Serb Marko Maksimovic 6-2 7-5 in an impressive first-round win on Court 5.
“I came out of the blocks well, the rain delay came and my legs were getting a bit tired,” he said.
“Then the break came, I had some food, came back, played well again and got the job done.
“It was definitely difficult to stay focused – my phone had so many messages from my friends trying to speak to me, and I had a little look at the stats as well.
“They were watching the football at the same time – I opened a few messages during the break and some of them had sent me a few photos of me playing.
“The crowd was unbelievable – it was a completely different atmosphere to what I’m used to, so it was great.”
Luke Hooper has reached the second round of the boys’ singles at Wimbledon – photo: LTA
Hooper, 18, appeared assured and composed from the off on Saturday as he beat Russian Daniil Sarksian 6-3 3-6 6-3 on Court 5.
Speaking after his victory, the left-handed wildcard said: “I feel unbelievable.
“It was a tough match but I managed to get through it.
“I think from the start I settled better because I had some friends from Bristol, two old coaches, my current coach, mum and some LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) guys there too.
“Knowing some familiar people helped me from the start, whereas I don’t think he settled as well because he maybe didn’t have so many people here.
“It was really helpful.”
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Junior boys and girls players are aged between 14 and 18.
Although they don’t receive prize money, they do receive ranking points that count towards their international junior ranking.
Swaine will meet USA’s Flynn Thomas in the second round, with Hooper facing Kazakhstan’s Amir Omarkhanov.
Main photo: Team Bath Tennis Academy
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