Kent tennis champion Steven Blythe earns Wimbledon shot
Maidstone’s Steven Blythe will emulate
tennis great Roger Federer next month when he plays at
Wimbledon.
Fourteen-year-old Blythe, who attends
Maplesden Noakes School and trains at the Maidstone Tennis Academy,
will represent Kent in the national finals of the HSBC Road to
Wimbledon National 14 and Under Challenge after beating Callum
Holloway of Bromley in a thrilling 4-5 (6), 5-4 (5), 1-0
(5) county final.
A total of 128 junior players from 44
counties will be vying for the boys’ and girls’ singles titles, a
£500 coaching grant and a day out at next year’s Wimbledon
Championships when the finals take place between August 17-22.
Joining Steven at the All England Club
will be 13-year-old Anoushka Newman of Tunbridge Wells, who won the
girls’ county final.
The event is the largest national
junior grass court tournament of its kind, with more than 20,000
boys and girls entering this year making Steven and Anoushka’s
achievements all the more impressive.
Former British No.1 and Wimbledon
semi-finalist Tim Henman, ambassador for the tournament, said:
"Competitions like the HSBC Road to Wimbledon are a fantastic way
to help nurture British tennis and it is great that HSBC continues
to help cultivate all this young talent."
Thursday, July 09 2009