William Bissett slides into the boy's semi-finals with a win over Nicholas Nugent
On a day where the rain finally came in and disrupted play from 2 o’clock until the close of play forcing some of the matches that had not been completed to head indoors, we now look ahead to a dry Friday and the semi-finals in the singles. The doubles events are also tantalisingly close to reaching their conclusions.
The top four seeds in the girls have lived up to their rankings and will face each other on Friday for a place in the final.
Chloe Halliday from Surrey is through to the HSBC Road to Wimbledon semi-finals for the second year running after getting the better of Hert girl Mollie Crouch 6-1, 6-0 and is looking to go one better than last year.
After her match Halliday said, “Playing in the semi-finals last year was nerve racking. At the beginning of the week I was having trouble with my forehand and yesterday I went to Wimbledon Park to practice with Dan Bloxham and the WJTI to sort things out.” Chloe adds, “I’m a year older and a bit stronger now. It’s my last year in the 14 and unders so I’m really going to go for it.”
Facing Halliday for a place in the final is Yorkshire’s Olivia Noble who saved two match points in the second set to turn her match with thirteen year old Holly Hutchinson around after two-and-a-half hours on court 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Doubles partners and Berkshire girls will renew their rivalry with each other in the top half of the draw for the right to face
either Halliday or Noble for the 10th HSBC Road to Wimbledon girls’ title.
Hannah Brett said about her good friend and partner in the doubles, “We’ve played each other lots of times since we were 10 years old. At first I used to lose all the time to her but since I’ve been going to Win Tennis Academy I’ve won more of our recent matches so it’s going to be quite interesting.”
In the boys all but one of the top four have reached the semi-finals after tenth seed William Bissett from Wiltshire edegd out the third seed from Surrey, Nicholas Nugent 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The match was for the most part played outdoors whne at 4-1 to Bisset in the third the rain came down and the boy’s headed to Wimbledon’s indoor courts. The delay did not effect Bisset who kept his lead to knock out Nugent.
George Hedley, the number one seed is yet to drop a set having conquered Sussex boy Ben Horton 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last four. Hedley said ” At Bournemouth I came runner-up and I won the doubles with Miles McDowall so I’ve been playing well and I feel confident on the grass.”
Mason Recci of Warwickshire, the fourth seed, will meet Hedley after his greater consistency and ability to handle the pressure eventually prevailed over Joshua Wilson from Cambridgeshire 6-2, 5-7, 6-0.
Second seed Miles McDowall was embroiled in a thoroughky entertaining match with 13 year old Marcus Walters. The second seed looked on his way out but turned it around to defeat the talented Nottinghamshire single-hander 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. McDowall will meet Bisset for a place in the final.
