Which British players are playing in Junior Wimbledon 2022?
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Great Britain’s leading junior players will be taking to the courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club this week as the Junior Wimbledon draws get under way, providing an opportunity for them to compete against the world’s best players.
There are four Junior events at The Championships: Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles and Girls' Doubles. This year, they start with the Boys’ and Girls’ Singles beginning today, and play throughout the second week with finals taking place over Finals weekend.
Junior players come from all over the world to compete in the Junior Championships, with the tournament providing an opportunity for future stars of the sport to develop their game. Players are aged between 14 and 18 and although they don’t receive prize money, they do receive ranking points that count towards their international junior ranking, with the standard of tennis being not far short of the professionals.
Which Brits are competing?
Girls
Age: 15
Events: Girls' doubles
County: Yorkshire
Current ITF junior ranking: 537
Career high ITF ranking: 537 (June 2022)
Piani came through qualifying for Junior Wimbledon by beating Hungary’s Panna Bartha and France’s Mathilde Ngijol Carre to earn a wild card entry to the girls’ singles event before being knocked out by Luca Udvardy of Hungary in the first round of the main draw.
The 15-year-old from Hull will now link up with Brit Sofia Johnson for the girls’ doubles where they will meet the unseeded Renata Jamrichova of Slovakia and Olivia Lincer of Poland in the first round.
Piani belongs to Cottingham Lawn Tennis Club and trains at the LTA’s National Academy in Loughborough alongside the top young talents in British tennis. She won the Road to Wimbledon regional girls’ singles finals last year by beating Ruby Cooling in straight sets before she and her partner joined forces and finished runners-up in the girls’ doubles.
Earlier this year, Piani teamed up with Given Roach to reach the semi-finals of the J4 Aldershot doubles in April. The pair also made the final of the J5 Liverpool tournament in February when they were beaten by Brit Alaia Rubio Perez and America’s Kate Mansfield.
Roach got the upper hand over Piani in the J5 Liverpool girls’ singles final in February, though Piani has continued to post some impressive results and reached the semi-finals of the J4 Aldershot in April, losing to Brit Marelie Raath.
Girls' singles:
- First round: lost 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 vs Luca Udvardy (HUN), (world No.19)
Girls' doubles:
Partner: Sofia Johnson (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-1 vs Renata Jamrichova (SVK) & Olivia Lincer (USA)
Age: 16
Events: Girls singles; Girls' doubles
County: Lancashire
Current ITF junior ranking: 76
Career high ITF junior ranking: 73 (May 2022)
Preston-born McDonald is certainly one to watch at Junior Wimbledon having broken into the ITF Junior top 100 in March with victory at the J2 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, beating world No.14 Johanne Christine Svendsen in the final.
The 16-year-old, who trains at the LTA National Academy in Sterling under coach Evie Williams, has also won successive ITF J3 titles in Loughborough and Glasgow this year.
Her talent was evident once again when narrowly losing on a tie break to former US and Australian Open semi-finalist, two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist and ex-Junior US Open champion, Coco Vandeweghe, at Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton recently.
Girls' singles
- First round: won 7-5, 6-1 vs Julie Struplova (CZE), (world No.59)
- Second round: lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 vs Victoria Mboko (CAN), (world No.17, seeded 5)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Isabelle Lacy (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 6-4 vs Yu-Yun Li (TPE) & Sara Saito (JPN)
Age: 17
Events: Girls' doubles
County: Middlesex
Current ITF junior ranking: 309
Career high ITF ranking: 309 (June 2022)
Roach narrowly missed out on making the Junior Wimbledon girls’ singles main draw following defeat to America’s Kaitlin Quevedo in the second round of qualifying having been handed a wild card entry.
However, the Middlesex teenager hopes to make the most of another wild card spot by linking up with fellow Brit, Millie Skelton, in the girls’ doubles where they will meet the unseeded Lucia Peyre of Argentina and Mia Slama of USA in the first round.
That wild card into this year’s main draw doubles was richly deserved after Roach and Skelton became the 18 & Under Junior National girls’ doubles champions following their victory over top seeds Mimi Xu and Talia Neilson-Gatenby in the final at Roehampton in April.
Roach belongs to the LTA’s National Academy in Loughborough and is coached by Jamie Evans. Earlier this year, Roach and Daniela Piani won the girls’ doubles honours at the J5 Liverpool event. Roach, though, got the better of her partner in the girls’ singles final with a straight sets victory to cap a memorable tournament.
Roach also won the singles title at the J4 Aldershot event in April by losing only one game in the final against Marelie Raath.
Girls' doubles:
Partner: Millie Skelton (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 7-6(6) vs Lucia Peyre (ARG) & Mia Slama (USA)
Age: 13
Events: Girls singles; Girls' doubles
County: Surrey
Current ITF junior ranking: 289
Career high ITF junior ranking: 284 (June 2022)
Klugman was runner up in both the LTA’s 16 & Under Junior Nationals singles and doubles events in April and she also reached the 18 & Under singles semi-final where she was beaten by eventual champion, Mimi Xu.
However, the 13-year-old’s eye-catching performances at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, Roehampton, earned her a Junior Wimbledon wild card spot.
Klugman – the 14 & Under Junior National singles and doubles champion in 2021 – has won both ITF J3 titles in Liverpool this year and was also an age-category finalist in the Junior World Championships in Tarbes.
Injury forced her retirement from the semi-final of the LTA British Tour West Worthing a few weeks ago when she was a set up against Sally Pethybridge. However, she won the LTA British Tour Corby in February with a straight-sets victory over Darya Osadova in the final.
Kingston-born Klugman now lives in Wimbledon and belongs to the LTA’s Men and Women’s Programme. She is coached by Ben Haran and trains at the Reeds Tennis School, Cobham.
Klugman was just three-year-old when she took up tennis in order to play with her older sisters. Her tennis idols are Emma Raducanu and Ash Barty and her other hobbies include hockey.
Girls' singles
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-1 vs Yu-Yun Li (TPE), (world No.70)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Hephzibah Oluwadare (GBR)
- First round: won 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 vs Weronika Ewald (POL) & Isis Louise Van Den Broek (NED)
- Second round: won 6-4, 6-3 vs Sonya Macavei (USA) & Julie Struplova (CZE)
- Quarter-final: lost 6-0, 6-1 vs Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) & Celine Naef (SUI) (seeded 1)
Age: 14
Events: Girls' singles; Girls' doubles
County: Hertfordshire
Current ITF junior ranking: 216
Career high ITF junior ranking: 209 (May 2022)
Oluwadare became the second-youngest Brit ever to win an ITF Junior title after Emma Raducanu following her amazing success at the J4 Oslo in February.
She will be competing at Junior Wimbledon for a second successive year thanks to a wild card entry. The 14-year-old from Hertfordshire lost to Czech Sara Bejlek in last year’s first round but gained valuable experience along the way.
She continues to impress in 2022 having partnered Mimi Xu to the LTA’s 16 & Under Junior Nationals girls doubles title at Roehampton in addition to reaching the 18 & Under singles semi-final and the 16 & Under singles quarter-finals.
More recently she entered the LTA Wimbledon qualifying wild card play-offs where she defeated Ruby Cooling in straight sets before losing to fellow Brit, Anna Brogan, in the quarter-finals.
The powerful left-hander trains at the LTA National Academy at the University of Sterling under the coach Adam Lownsborough. Her tennis idol is Serena Williams and her favourite playing surface is clay.
Girls' singles
- First round: lost 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 vs Weronika Ewald (POL), (world No.82)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Hannah Klugman (GBR)
- First round: vs won 6-3, 4-6, [10-7] Weronika Ewald (POL) & Isis Louise Van Den Broek (NED)
- Second round: won 6-4, 6-3 vs Sonya Macavei (USA) & Julie Struplova (CZE)
- Quarter-final: lost 6-0, 6-1 vs Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) & Celine Naef (SUI) (seeded 1)
Age: 15
Events: Girls singles; Girls' doubles
County: Surrey
Current ITF junior ranking: 121
Career high ITF ranking: 111 (May 2022)
Lacy hopes to capitalise on a wild card entry to Junior Wimbledon. She reached the semi-finals of the LTA’s 16 & Under Junior Nationals singles tournament at Roehampton before bowing out to Hannah Klugman and the quarter-finals of the 18 & Under event where she was beaten by Talia Neilson-Gatenby.
However, Lacy has shown plenty of form by winning the ITF J2 Aldershot in April and, earlier this year, the LTA’s British Tour Edgbaston tournament. The 15-year-old Londoner also claimed two victories in qualifying of the recent Surbiton Trophy before falling to Miriam Bolkvadze.
Lacy grew up near the LTA National Tennis Centre in Roehampton and makes use of the state-of-the-art facilities. She also trains under coach Alistair Filmer in Chiswick at the LTA Regional Player Development Centre at Dukes Meadow as part of the LTA Player Pathway programme.
Lacy was a starry-eyed six-year-old when she first played at Wimbledon as part of a community initiative involving children from the Merton area and has been hooked on the sport ever since.
Tennis is undoubtedly in Lacy’s blood as mum, Caroline, is a former professional player who reached no.400 in the WTA rankings and was once a junior GB international player. Her tennis idol is Emma Raducanu and her hobbies include reading, shopping and hanging out with friends.
Girls' singles
- First round: won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 vs Joelle Steur (GER), (world No.49)
- Second round: lost 6-2, 6-0 vs Linda Klimovicova (CZE), (word No.31, seeded 16)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Ella McDonald (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 6-4 vs Yu-Yun Li (TPE) & Sara Saito (JPN)
Age: 17
Events: Girls singles
County: Oxfordshire
Current ITF junior ranking: 79
Career high ITF junior ranking: 72 (April 2022)
Conway was once ranked the no.1 girl in Great Britain in her age group and will be seeking Junior Wimbledon success this week.
The Oxfordshire teenager arrives in good form having reached the last 16 of the ITF J2 Israel recently as well as the semi-final of the Monastir 37 ITF Tunis in May when she was beaten by Japan’s Ayumi Morita, once ranked 40th in the world.
Conway currently holds a WTA ranking of 735, began playing tennis when she was six and was coached by Victor Roubanov, whose other students include Anna Kournikova and Britain’s Marcus Willis.
Conway has received support from the LTA throughout her career having been part of the association’s County and Regional Talent ID programmes and now the Player Pathway programme.
Her previous best results include winning the ITF J2 Kolkata two years ago and the 16U Grade 1 title at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre Invitational Winter National Tour Finals.
Girls' singles
- First round: won 6-4, 7-5vs Renata Jamrichova (SLO), (world No.67)
- Second round: won 6-3, 6-0 vs Ela Nala Milic (SLO), (world No.78)
- Third round: won 6-4, 6-1 vs Hayu Kinoshita (JPN), (world No.55)
- Quarter-final: lost 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 vs Linda Klimovicova (CZE). (world No.45) (seeded 16)
Age: 17
Events: Girls' doubles
County: Yorkshire
Current ITF junior ranking: 396
Career high ITF ranking: 396 (June 2022)
Like her partner Given Roach, Skelton gained entry to the Junior Wimbledon girls’ doubles main draw by winning the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior Nationals girls doubles title and a wild card to SW19 with it.
Again like Roach, Skelton was unable to navigate her way through junior girls’ singles qualifying for Junior Wimbledon after earning a wild card and lost to Poland’s Weronika Ewald in the first round.
Nevertheless, Skelton and Roach have played a number of tournaments together as doubles partners and have an excellent understanding on the court.
Skelton, who trains at the LTA National Academy in Sterling and is coached by Tom Loughton and his team, reached the J4 Edinburgh final on clay in June when she linked up with Hannah Rylatt. She also partnered Sophie Marshman to the 18U doubles title at the 2021 Hull Christmas Open held in her home town.
Girls' doubles:
Partner: Given Roach (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 7-6(6)vs Lucia Peyre (ARG) & Mia Slama (USA)
Age: 14
Events: Girls singles; Girls' doubles
County: Swansea (Wales)
Current ITF junior ranking: 128
Career high ITF ranking: 123 (May, 2022)
Xu had ambitions to win the LTA Junior Nationals but she could not have dreamed of clinching both the 18 & Under and 16 & Under singles titles plus the 16 & Under doubles title all in the same year.
That incredible treble became a reality at this year’s tournament at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in Roehampton where the 14-year-old enhanced her reputation as one of the Britain’s brightest prospects.
Xu beat Hannah Klugman to win the 16 & Under singles crown and Talia Neilson-Gatenby in the 18 & Under final before partnering Hephzibah Oluwadare to 16 & Under doubles success. That secured Xu a place at Junior Wimbledon and also a shot at Wimbledon qualifying where she was bidding to become the youngest qualifier in more than a century, only to narrowly lose to America’s world No.269, Hanna Chang, in the first round.
However, South Wales-born Xu, who has trained with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, is now relishing her first Junior Wimbledon experience.
Xu was enrolled into the National Tennis Academy in Loughborough in 2020 under coach Nick Cavaday and his team, having previously trained at the LTA Regional Player Development Centre in Swansea under Fran Lewis.
Other recent court action also saw Xu reach the final of the LTA British Tour North Oxford and lose to former US Open semi-finalist, Yanina Wickmayer, at the Ikley Trophy.
Xu’s tennis idols are Belinda Bencic and Iga Swiatek and the Year 10 student has attained Grade 7 in both piano and violin.
Girls' singles
- First round: won 7-6(5), 6-3 vs Carolina Kuhl (GER), (world No.47)
- Second round: won 6-2, 6-0 vs Lucia Peyre (ARG), (world No.30, seeded 15)
- Third round: lost 6-4, 6-3 vs Isabella Kruger (RSA), (world No. 456 - WTA)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Talia Neilson-Gatenby (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 6-4 vs Kristyna Tomajkova (CZE) & Nina Vargova (SVK), (seeded 8)
Age: 17
Events: Girls singles
County: Middlesex
Current ITF junior ranking: 38
Career high ITF ranking: 34 (Mar 2022)
An impressive run on the court sees Ranah Stoiber take her place in the Junior Wimbledon girls’ singles event for a second successive year.
The London-born right-hander finished runner up at the J1 Casablanca tournament in March and was then beaten in the 18 & Under semi-finals of the LTA’s Junior Nationals by eventual champion, Mimi Xu.
Stoiber continues to make significant progress having also reached the quarter-finals of the J1 Santa Croce Sull’Arno in May and being the only British player to take part in the Junior competition at the French Open.
The 17-year-old recently claimed one of the biggest scalps of her career, beating world No.209 Jamie Loeb at the LTA’s Ilkley Trophy. She also received a wildcard into Wimbledon qualifiers at Roehampton, losing in the first round to Katarina Zavatska in three sets.
Stoiber is another product of the LTA’s National Tennis Academy at Loughborough University where she trains under Nick Cavaday. She won two matches against Barbora Palicova and Madison Sieg at last year’s Junior Wimbledon after receiving a wildcard into the girls’ singles event, eventually losing to Kristina Dmitruk in the third round.
Stoiber was seven-years-old when she took up tennis at Thisleworth Tennis Club before moving on to Ealing. Her tennis idol is Ash Barty and she also has an interest in basketball and football.
Girls' singles
- First round: withdrew vs Liv Hovde (USA), (world No.6)
Age: 16
Events: Girls singles; Girls' doubles
County: Leicestershire
Current ITF junior ranking: 209
Career high ITF ranking: 158 (Jan 2022)
Reaching the finals of the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior Nationals singles and doubles events earned Neilson-Gatenby a place at Junior Wimbledon and also Wimbledon qualifying.
The 16-year-old lost to Mimi Xu in the 18 & Under singles final and was her opponent’s partner in the 18 & Under doubles final where they were edged out by Given Roach and Millie Skelton.
The right-hander’s form remains impressive and, while she lost to America’s multiple ITF title-winner Jamie Loeb in first round Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton, her favourite playing surface is grass, which will boost her chances at SW19 in Junior Wimbledon.
Neilson-Gatenby attends Loughborough University’s National Tennis Academy under the guidance of coach Nick Cavaday and is a former Regional Road to Wimbledon Finals champion and Grade 5 ITF title winner in Edinburgh.
Earlier this year she reached the final of the ITF W25 tournament in Birmingham in her first event at that level, losing to fellow Brit, Sonay Kartal, in three sets.
Neilson-Gatenby began playing tennis aged seven and her idol is former world No.1 and two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, Victoria Azarenka.
Girls' singles
- First round: won 6-4, 6-4 vs Nina Vargova (SLO), (world No.32)
- Second round: lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 vs Annabelle Xu (CAN), (world No.23)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Mimi Xu (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 6-4 vs Kristyna Tomajkova (CZE) & Nina Vargova (SVK), (seeded 8)
Age: 17
Events: Girls singles
County: Valencia
Current ITF junior ranking: 245
Career high ITF junior ranking: 225 (May 2022)
Tatu is relishing her first appearance at Junior Wimbledon after gaining a wild card entry.
The 17-year-old came through qualifying at the LTA Junior International at Roehampton recently by easing past fellow Brits, Issey Purser and Erin Pearce, only to lose to Poland’s Weronika Ewald, in the first found.
She showed plenty of promise by reaching the semi-finals of the J2 Aldershot Junior International in April and the pervious month came through three rounds of qualifying to reach the first round of the J1 Villena in Spain.
Training out of Valencia, Tatu reached the quarter-finals of the J2 Benicarlo in March before she was beaten by Italian Francesca Pace, and she made the final of the J5 La Nucia last October, losing to Ekua Youri of Botswana.
Tatu, whose parents are Romanian, faces the unseeded Swiss, Celine Naef, in the first round.
Girls' singles
- First round: lost 6-1, 6-3 vs Celine Naef (SWI), (world No. 7)
Age: 18
Events: Girls singles; Girls' doubles
County: Kent
Current ITF junior ranking: 1098
Career high ITF junior ranking: 730 (Jan 2021)
Johnson came through Junior Wimbledon qualifying to book her place in the first-round draw.
The 18-year-old defeated Kazakhstan’s Aruzhan Sagandikova and then South Africa’s Gabriella Broadfoot, both in straight sets, to secure her spot at SW19.
That was improvement itself on her previous attempt in 2021 when the Orpington-based Johnson was beaten by USA’s Clervie Ngounoue in first-round qualifying.
Johnson spent the early part of last year playing abroad and reached the quarter-finals of the J3 Megrine tournament in Tunisia in April, losing to Austrian, Tamara Kostic.
Johnson will be hoping to bring her ‘A-Game’ to Wimbledon as she faces 5th seed, Victoria Mboko, from Canada in the first round.
Girls' singles
- First round: lost 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 vs Victoria Mboko (CAN), (world No. 17)
Girls' doubles
Partner: Daniela Piani (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-1 vs Renata Jamrichova (SVK) & Olivia Lincer (USA)
Boys
Age: 14
Events: Boys' singles
County: Kent
Current ITF junior ranking: 259
Career high ITF ranking: 259 (Jun 2022)
Benjamin Gusic Wan gained a wild card to Junior Wimbledon and will be one of the youngest players at SW19, aged just 14.
Despite his tender years, Gusic Wan – the youngest ever winner of the LTA’s Junior Player of the Year award – has played some impressive tennis in 2022 and partnered Jamie Diack to the doubles title at the 16 & Under Junior Nationals at Roehampton in April as well as reaching the semi-finals of the 16 & Under singles event. He built on those performances by winning the J4 Edinburgh Junior International on clay in early June after beating fellow Brit, Viktor Frydrych, over three sets in the final.
This year Gusic Wan lost to Patrick Brady in the quarter-finals of the J2 Aldershot event in April and he also reached the semi-finals of the J3 Loughborough tournament in March, going down to Will Jansen.
Gusic Wan was the youngest ever recipient of the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior Player of the Year award in 2019 – the same year fellow Kent resident Emma Raducanu claimed the girls’ accolade. That honour came off the back of some stunning performances by Gusic Wan at the time after winning the prestigious Super Auray event in France plus the Florida-based Orange Bowl – two of the biggest worldwide tournaments for the 12 & Under age group.
Gusic Wan, whose mother is from Bosnia and father from Hong Kong, trains at Polo Tennis Club in Canterbury and is coached by Simon Grieve. He belongs to the LTA’s Men’s and Women’s Programme.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 7-5, 6-1 vs Peter Benjamin Privara (SLO), (world No.26)
Age: 16
Events: Boys' singles; Boys' doubles
County: Staffordshire
Current ITF junior ranking: 473
Career high ITF ranking: 283 (Jan 2022)
Searle secured a wild card at Junior Wimbledon by winning the LTA’s 16 & Under Junior Nationals at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton. The 6ft 3ins left-hander and partner Luca Pow also claimed the 18 & Under doubles crown having won the 16 & Under title at the same tournament a year earlier. Wolverhampton-born Searle started playing tennis at just four years old at his local club, Newbridge. He now trains at the Loughborough University National Tennis Academy under coach Nick Cavaday and his team as part of the LTA Player Pathway. The 16-year-old made his ITF World Tennis Tour debut this year, playing in the LTA Performance Competition Calendar events in both Shrewsbury and Loughborough. Searle says his tennis idol is Nick Kyrgios, while he is also a big football fan and season ticket holder at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 6-4, 7-6(4) vs Jakub Mensik (CZE), (world No.4)
Boys' doubles
Partner: Luca Pow (GBR)
- First round: won 7-6(4), 4-6, [10-7] vs Tanapatt Nirundorn (THA) & Jaden Weekes (CAN)
- Second round: lost 6-3, 6-7(11), [12-10] vs Chak Lam Coleman Wong (HKG) & Michael Zheng (USA)
Age: 16
Events: Boys' doubles
County: Kent
Current ITF junior ranking: 208
Career high ITF ranking: 201 (May 2022)
Coquelin was just 15-years-old when he secured a wildcard to Junior Wimbledon last year, losing in the first round of the main draw to USA’s Victor Lilov. He reached SW19 by winning the LTA 16 & Under Junior National boys’ title in 2021, having come through qualifying and winning seven matches in total at Surbiton.
This year Coquelin, who trains at the LTA’s National Academy in Loughborough, returns to Junior Wimbledon to join current partner Phoenix Weir in the boys’ doubles.
Coquelin has been in good doubles form after a runners-up spot at the J2 Aldershot event in April alongside Luca Bluett, the pair going down to Freddy Blaydes and Viktor Frydrych in the final. Coquelin and Henry Searle also made the final of the J3 Loughborough last December when they were eventually defeated by Blaydes and brother, Billy.
There have been some notable displays from Coquelin in singles events too after losing to William Jansen in the semis of the J3 Loughborough in March and to Weir in the J3 Glasgow final in January. He also reached the final of the J4 Finland last year when he was beaten by Ireland’s Arthur O’Sullivan.
Coquelin was part of the first intake to the LTA’s National Tennis Academy in Loughborough when it opened in 2019 and is coached by Nick Cavaday and his team. Coquelin and Weir face unseeded opponents in the first found in Belgium’s Alessio Basile and Slovakia’s Peter Privara.
Boys' doubles:
Partner: Phoenix Weir (GBR)
- First round: lost 7-6(4), 7-6(8) vs Peter Benjamin Privara (SVK) & Alessio Basile (BEL)
Age: 17
Events: Boys singles; Boys' doubles
County: Warwickshire
Current ITF junior ranking: 138
Career high ITF ranking: 128 (Mar 2022)
Pow guaranteed his place at Junior Wimbledon plus a wild card entry for Wimbledon qualifying in some style by winning both the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior Nationals singles and doubles events at the LTA’s Junior National Championships at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
Pow is no stranger to national success having claimed the LTA’s 16 & Under Junior Nationals doubles title along with the LTA Youth National Series Combined 16 & Under/18 & Under singles crown in 2021.
This year has been particularly memorable for the 17-year-old having twice beaten William Jansen to win back-to-back J3 tournaments at the LTA’s National Tennis Academy in Loughborough where he trains under coach Nick Cavaday and his team.
The 5ft 10ins left-hander from Solihul first picked up a racket at the age of three and is now on the LTA Player Pathway scheme. His favourite playing surface is clay and his tennis idol is Rafael Nadal. Away from tennis, Pow, 17, enjoys football and supports St Mirren where his cousin plays for their Under 18s.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 vs Kalin Ivanovski (MAC), (world No.41)
Boys' doubles
Partner: Henry Searle (GBR)
- First round: won 7-6(4), 4-6, [10-7] vs Tanapatt Nirundorn (THA) & Jaden Weekes (CAN)
- Second round: lost 6-3, 6-7(11), [12-10] vs Chak Lam Coleman Wong (HKG) & Michael Zheng (USA)
Age: 17
Events: Boys' singles
County: Hampshire/Isle of Wight
Current ITF junior ranking: 132
Career high ITF ranking: 88 (Jan 2022)
Bowden will be competing in his third Grand Slam tournament after securing a wild card entry to Junior Wimbledon.
The teenager from Portsmouth made it to last year’s Junior Wimbledon where he lost to France’s Robin Bertrand in the first round, having reached the semi-finals of the LTA’s Junior Nationals a few weeks earlier.
He then qualified for the Australia Open Juniors main draw in January, losing to America’s Yannik Rahman, in the first round. However, that came off the back of a promising 2021 that included his first ITF Junior singles title at the J3 Les Franqueses del Valles in Spain, having finished runner-up in Porto the previous week. He also teamed up with fellow Brit, Matthew Rankin, to win his first doubles title on the international junior circuit at the ITF J3 event in Israel.
The teenager’s form has remained impressive this year having won the LTA’s British Tour North Oxford in June and making the semi-finals of the J2 Aldershot tournament in April when he lost to Will Jansen. He and partner Yujiro Onuma also reached the semi-finals of the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior Nationals doubles recently, losing to eventual winners Luca Pow and Henry Searle.
Bowden, who trains at CourtX in Southsea, is highly regarded at his coaching programme, Elite Tennis in Southampton, and has been preparing for Junior Wimbledon by practicing with Andy Murray, having previously hit with Dan Evans and Katie Boulter. He faces a tough task at Junior Wimbledon after drawing no.1 seeded Gabriel Debru of France in the first round.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 6-0, 6-1 vs Gabriel Debru (FRA), (world No.3)
Boys' doubles
Partner: Matthew Rankin (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-0 vs Edas Butvilas (LTU) & Mili Poljicak (CRO), (seeded 1)
Age: 17
Events: Boys' doubles
County: Sterling (Scotland)
Current ITF junior ranking: 127
Career high ITF ranking: 68 (Jan 2022)
Rankin will partner Louis Bowden in the Junior Wimbledon boys’ doubles first round.
The pair have played together several times but could not have had a tougher start in SW19 as they face no.1 seeds, Edas Butvilas of Lithuania and Mili Poljicak of Croatia.
Edinburgh-born Rankin is currently no.1 in Great Britain in the 18 & Under category and attends the LTA’s National Tennis Academy in Sterling.
He got his first taste of a Grand Slam tournament at this year’s Australian Open Juniors. Despite losing his first-round match, he enjoyed the experience, trained with Andy Murray and was subsequently named Tennis Scotland’s 2022 Junior Player of the Year, having won the same award in 2020.
A strong finish to 2021 saw Rankin win the J3 Loughborough in December when he defeated Billy Blaydes in the final. He and Bowden also won the J3 Israel doubles last November in addition to reaching the boys’ singles final. That came a week after Rankin had celebrated winning the J3 Cyprus tournament, defeating the top seed along the way.
In 2019, Rankin, who is part of the LTA’s Tennis Scotland National Player Programme, won the LTA National Juniors 16 & Under boys’ doubles title with Ronan Lunn, reached the doubles finals at both the ITF Italy and ITS Norway events and represented Team GB at the 2019 European Youth Olympics in Azerbaijan.
Rankin was aged four when he began his tennis journey on the Meadows public courts in Edinburgh. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Brits Cameron Norrie and Paul Jubb next year by embarking on a tennis scholarship at an American university.
Boys' doubles:
Partner: Louis Bowden
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-0 vs Edas Butvilas (LTU) & Mili Poljicak (CRO), (seeded 1)
Age: 17
Events: Boys' singles; Boys' doubles
County: Essex
Current ITF junior ranking: 103
Career high ITF ranking: 97 (Jan 2022)
Brady will be hoping his 2021 Junior Wimbledon experience will stand him in good stead for the upcoming tournament after securing a wild card entry.
The teenager from Ilford came through qualifying last year to defeat world no.40, Adam Jurajda, in the first round of the boys’ singles before narrowly losing to world no.47, Max Hans Rehberg, in the second round. He also partnered fellow Brit, Oliver Tarvet, in the doubles, but bowed out in the first round.
Coached by his father, John, Brady also reached this year’s Australian Open Juniors along with Louis Bowden, losing a close contest against USA’s Rohan Murali in first-round qualifying. Brady then joined Namibia’s Connor van Schalkwyk in the boys’ doubles, but their tournament ended when his partner was forced to retire in their evenly-fought first-round match.
Nevertheless, Brady broke into the world juniors top 100 earlier this year and he's shown plenty of confidence on the court recently by reaching the quarter-finals of the LTA’s J1 Junior International at Roehampton where he lost to Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong. He beat fellow Brits, Viktor Frydrych and Benjamin Gusic Wan, en route to making the semi-finals of the J2 Aldershot in April before losing to Phoenix Weir.
Brady's been playing tennis since he was a toddler and made his senior debut for Warren Tennis Club aged six when his father’s doubles partner was a late withdrawal before a South West Essex League match.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-0 vs Martyn Pawelski (POL), (world No.18)
Boys' doubles
Partner: Will Jansen (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 6-3 vs Jack Loutit (NZL) & Edward Winter (AUS)
Age: 16
Events: Boys' singles; Boys' doubles
County: Nottingham
Current ITF junior ranking: 126
Career high ITF ranking: 121 (May 2022)
Weir is no stranger to winning tournaments and will be hoping to make the most of his wild card entry into Junior Wimbledon for the second year in succession.
He failed to get through the qualifiers for last year’s Junior Wimbledon boys’ singles but did compete in the boys’ doubles main draw alongside Fabio Nestola, losing to the older Serbians, Hamad Medjedovic and Stefan Popovic, in the first round.
Weir’s road to SW19 in 2021 included a runner-up spot at the LTA 16 & Under Junior Nationals in Surbiton and also reaching the semi-finals of the singles. In addition, he won the Fred Perry Championships in London for the second year running on the back of defeating Louis Bowden in the final of the J4 Loughborough Junior International.
It is that kind of form which led to Weir holding the distinction of being no.1 in Great Britain across various age groups during his career and success was quick to arrive in 2002 following victory over fellow Brit, Hugo Coquelin in the final of the J3 Glasgow Junior International in January. The Bingham-based youngster also reached the final of the J2 Aldershot event in April, losing to Will Jansen.
Weir trains in Nottingham and is coached by his father, Alistair. He faces Belgium’s unseeded Alexander Blockx in the first round.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 6-3 6-3 vs Alexander Blockx (BEL), (world No.38)
Boys' doubles
Partner: Hugo Coquelin (GBR)
- First round: lost 7-6(4), 7-6(8) vs Peter Benjamin Privara (SVK) & Alessio Basile (BEL)
Age: 16
Events: Boys' singles
County: Lancashire
Current ITF junior ranking: 284
Highest ITF junior ranking: 281 (June 2022)
Wales-born Frydrych one of Britain’s top tennis talents and was runner up to Henry Searle in the LTA’s 16 & Under Junior Nationals at Roehampton in April which secured his place in Junior Wimbledon qualifying. He did, however, beat Searle in the 18 & Under Junior Nationals quarter-final before losing to William Jansen in the semis.
In his early teens, Frydrych moved to Stockholm with his family where he was taught by Sweden’s former Davis Cup coach, Johan Hedsberg, but has recently returned to Britain where he is expected to join one of the LTA’s Academies.
The son of a Swedish father and Polish mother, left-handed Frydrych belongs to the LTA’s National Age Group Programme and won the ITF J5 Nastola last year. He now has his sights set on breaking into the world’s top 100.
Frydrych’s tennis idol is Rafael Nadal and away from tennis he enjoys golf, swimming, basketball and gaming.
Boys' singles
- First round: lost 6-3, 6-4 vs Sebastian Gorzny (USA), (world No.56)
Age: 17
Events: Boys' singles; Boys' doubles
County: Middlesex
Current ITF junior ranking: 86
Highest ITF junior ranking: 75 (May 2022)
Jansen competed at last year’s Junior Wimbledon where he lost to USA’s Bruno Kuzuhara in three sets in the first round.
He qualified by winning the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior Nationals singles final in 2021 but was unable to defend his title this year after the No.1 seed lost to Luca Pow at Roehampton, earning him a wild card spot for Junior Wimbledon.
London-born Jansen also missed out in the Wimbledon men’s singles wild card play-offs recently when beaten by Stuart Parker at the same venue. However, the 6ft 2ins left-hander has enjoyed an impressive year and won the IYF J2 in Aldershot in April.
Jansen trains at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre and also Reed’s School in Cobham under coach Ben Haran.
Jansen was inspired to take up tennis by his father and older brother at the age of six and his idols are Roger Federer and Andy Murray. The A-Level student is an avid football fan and supports Chelsea FC.
Boys' singles
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First round: won 7-5, 7-6(2) vs Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (COL), (world No.48)
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Second round: lost 6-4, 6-3 vs Gilles Arnaud Bailly (BEL), (world No.9)
Boys' doubles
Partner: Patrick Brady (GBR)
- First round: lost 6-4, 6-3 vs Jack Loutit (NZL) & Edward Winter (AUS)
