HSBC Road to Wimbledon

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The HSBC Road To Wimbledon boy's singles champion

Christopher Morrow of Gloucestershire was crowned the 2010 HSBC Road To Wimbledon boy’s singles champion this afternoon after a 6-1, 6-4 grass court masterclass over Giles Waterson of Oxfordshire.

The number one seed raced away with the first set dropping just one game as he started the stronger controlling his own service games with a high percentage of powerful first serves, and then attacking Waterson’s second serve with blistering well timed returns forcing the Oxfordshire boy to retreat deep behind the baseline.

In the second set fourteen-year-old Waterson fought valiantly putting up much more resistance but his serve came undone in the third game of the second set, and that was just enough for the number one seed fluent in the art of grass court tennis, to hold on to despite facing break points himself in the second, and fourth games, of the second set.

After the trophy ceremony Christopher spoke about today’s win “It feels so good to be champion. I think the final was my best performance of the week, everything clicked. Giles is a really good. I’ve played him before in other tournaments. He upped his game in the second set making it really tough for me. Fortunately I managed to hold on to the early break of serve to see out the match.”

In the boy’s consolation draw final Bucks boy, Jonathan Tingey, 14, defeated Ryan Bates of Hampshire 6-4, 6-3.

Tournament Director Paul Hutchins writes about today

So many competitors have enjoyed themselves and we have been incredibly lucky with the weather and been on grass all week and played just a couple of hours indoors.

Great to see the ‘top brass’ at the semi-finals today. All England Club Chairman Tim Phillips, and the President, and Vice President of the LTA Derek Howarth, and Peter Bretherton, as well as John Barrett, one of the key originators of the event all showing great interest.

Locally all eyes were on Chloe Halliday who although losing in the semi-finals has performed so well this week. Chloe has so many Wimbledon credentials.

She began her tennis from her local Wimbledon school when head coach of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI) Dan Bloxham visited the school to promote the WJTI for local juniors to attend sessions at the All England Club.

The closeness to the WJTI has been there ever since. Chloe who lives in Wimbledon and goes to school in Wimbledon plays at West Side Tennis Club in Wimbledon Village under the coaching supervision of Alison Taylor the wife of former British Wimbledon semi-finalist Roger Taylor.

Quite a story in the making and a credit to the WJTI, and Dan Bloxham with his dedicated team of coaches working hard with the full support of the Club.

Daniella Silva, 14, who won through her school Road To Wimbledon competition from Culford School in Bury St Edmunds lives in Portugal and will play Freya Christie, 13, who beat Sarah Wray in probably the best match so far of the week. It was a pity someone had to lose.

And now lets look at the boy’s. Second seed in Lucus Taylor lost to a gutsy Giles Waterson who unbelievably did not drop a game in the club or county event to qualify for the finals here.

It will be a fascinating final on Saturday as Waterson play’s the first seed Chris Morrow from Gloucestershire who lost in the quarter final of the consolation event in 2009 who did incredibly well after dropping the first set today to turn things around against big serving Reuben Henry from Scotland.

The boy’s and girls’ consolation and doubles are also very important and all who made it through to the finals will be starting at 10.30 sharp on Saturday morning at the same time as the Tim Henman and Dan Bloxham clinic where 24 lucky boys and girls will take part in a fun training session.

Friday at Wimbledon usually serves up some of the best tennis of The Championships as it is traditionally the day the men’s semi-finals take place on the most famous court in the world, Centre Court. Here at The HSBC Road To Wimbledon it is the semi-finals day in all the events and we are expecting a thrilling day of action as today the finalists are going to be decided in the boy’s and girls’ main event, the doubles, and also the consolation draw.

Christopher Morrow, 14, the number one seed in the boy’s singles is still the player to beat after an impressive 6-3, 6-3 victory over Russell Graham of the North of Scotland. The boy from Gloucestershire possesses a devastating forehand and is a great striker of the ball for someone so young, he has probably learned a trick or two from his brother, also a top player in his County at 16 & under level. The Number one seed faces another big serving Scot, Reuben Henry, who turned 14 just one day before the start of The Road To Wimbledon National Finals, Reuben Henry. The East of Scotland player overpowered Northumberland’s John Boden 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets to make the semi-finals.

In the other semi-final Lucas Taylor, 13, the second seed and youngest boy left in the main draw won a tough three setter against Suffolk’s Henry Patten, and now faces Oxfordshire’s Giles Waterson the only player to have qualified for the national finals without dropping a game in his club and County qualifiers.

In the consolation draw Jonathan Tingey of Buckinghamshire squares off against Norfolk’s Tom Hunter, while Ryan bates of Hampshire is up against Ryan Bainbridge of Durham and Cleveland.

Also the boy’s doubles finalists will be decided once the singles have been completed. Sam Rice and Ryan Green from Sussex face the Lancashire and Yorkshire duo of Ross MacKenzie and Andrew Atkinson while Scotland’s Reuben Henry and Russell Graham face the number two seeds Lucas Taylor and South Wales’ Luke Simeone.

View of The 2010 HSBC Road To Wimbledon

We have arrived at the quarter-finals stage here at HSBC Road To Wimbledon. On an exceptional morning at the All England Club, the players are beginning to arrive at Aorangi Pavillion ready for their biggest match so far.

In the boys, the number one seed from Gloucestershire, Christopher Morrow, and number two, Lucas Taylor of Middlesex are the only seeded players to have made it this far while in the girls the top five seeds are all through to the business end of the 14 & under challenge.

The boy faced with the task of a duel with the number one boy for a place in the semi-finals comes from Andy Murray’s County, the North of Scotland. Russell Graham is yet to drop a set in the knockout stage and is proving to be a force here at the All England Club.

Another Scot, Reuben Henry, representing the East of Scotland defeated the third seed in the previous round and faces a highly confident Northumberland kid, John Boden, who is one of the form players here at Wimbledon, dropping just 7 games in the group stages, and just as miserly in the knockout stages by only giving up ten games in his two matches.

Lincolnshire’s Joe Woolley has won two out of the last three tournaments he has entered over the summer and is yet to drop a set here at Wimbledon. The top 14 & under boy from Lincolnshire faces Oxfordshires finest, Giles Waterson, who qualified through the school and County stages without dropping a game and who has won his last three LTA tournaments.

Lucas Taylor the second seed is still on course for the final and admits to feeling like a professional out on the Wimbledon courts. He survived a three sets nail biter against Suffolk’s Darren Kappala-Ramsamy in the previous round and faces another Suffolk kid, Henry Patten, who was incredibly nervous in his first match on Monday but has learned to relax and is ready for his toughest challenge today at Wimbledon.

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