The HSBC Road To Wimbledon girls' singles champion
Freya Christie, 12, became the 9th Road to Wimbledon girls’ singles champion at the All England Club today defeating Daniella Silva of Suffolk in a thrilling match 6-3, 5-7, 6-0.
At the start the number one seed from Nottinghamshire proved to be the stronger as she took the first two games using her powerful forehand to dictate the early baseline exchanges. However, Silva eventually found her range and fought back to take the next three games by outlasting Christie in the rallies to go ahead in the match for the first time.
But Christie came good towards the end of first set as she made fewer unforced errors to take it 6-3.
In the first six games of the second set Silva was overpowered by the Nottinghamshire 12 year old who went to within two points of the title when at 5-1 and 30-all, the Suffolk second seed began to out-think her opponent and keep her running from side to side forcing the top seed into making unforced errors and staging a remarkable turn around to win six games in a row taking the set 7-5.
The final set was all about the talented thirteen year old who responded immediately using her greater variety of weapons to run away with the HSBC Road To Wimbledon title taking the final set comfortably to love.
After receiving the girls’ singles trophy Freya said, ” It feels amazing. It was quite a long match and I was feeling the pressure out there. For the past three weeks I have been playing non-stop so I’m really tired. After dropping the second set I had to change my attitude and be a lot more positive and just go for it, doing that helped me win.”
In the girls’ consolation final Emma Hurst of Devon got the better of Somerset girl Bethany Eccles 6-2, 6-3.
