Players Compete in Road to Wimbledon National Finals

This years Road to Wimbledon National Finals took place on the Wimbledon practice courts located in SW19 from 12th – 18th August. This year, following in the footsteps of many former Totally Tennis players, performance players Dean Cooper Kirby and Kirsty Da Silva got the chance to compete on the All England Club’s historic grass courts.

In the County 14 & under singles competition Da Silva played well in the group stage but unfortunately lost Willow Hancock 7 – 5, 6 – 2 and group winner Sofia Maine 6 – 2, 6 – 1 on day one and Hima Fernando 6 – 2, 6 – 1 on day two so she did not progress to the knockout stages. She then teamed up with Beatrice Painter to compete in the doubles competition, the pair lost against Jemimah Choi/Jessica Miller in their first match 7 – 5, 6 – 2.

Coach Jamie Jordan said, “Kirsty had a fantastic experience this week at the Road to Wimbledon finals, she got to live the dream of a pro and get a taste of what it can be like at the top which she thoroughly enjoyed with smile on her face!” he added, “Her overall performance in both the singles and doubles was good, she tried new things but did find it hard adapting to the immaculate grass courts.”

“I’m a very proud coach and couldn’t ask for anything more, hopefully this is the next step of the journey for her. Well done Kirsty!”

Cooper Kirby was competing in Group E of the Regional 14U Boys Singles and lost his first matches against tough opponents Matthew Rankin 6 – 0, 6 – 4 on the first day and a three set battle against Chirag Duhan from India 3 – 6, 6 – 0 and 1 – 0 on the second day. He then won his third singles matches against James Griffin 4 – 6, 7 – 6(5), 1-0 but did not qualify for the next stage. In the doubles he partnered up with Luca Pow and they beat Rankin and his partner Luke Mcfarlane 6 – 2, 6 – 3. The pair then faced Duhan and his partner Udit Gogoi in the quarter finals but lost 6 – 4, 6 – 2.

The Road to Wimbledon, the annual tournament for players aged 14 & under is celebrated its 17th year of operation with a larger competition in the UK and further expansion in Asia with events in China, Hong Kong SAR, India, and for the first time, in Japan. This year the initial stage of the competition was held at over 800 tennis clubs, school and parks across the country from April to June. Winners and runners-up of the club stage contested the county finals and the separate Road to Wimbledon International UK tournament, open to highly rated British youngsters, took place from 23rd – 24th June.

 

 

 

 

Runner-up spot for Da Silva in County Finals

Performance player Kirsty Da Silva was runner up at the Road to Wimbledon Hampshire & IOW County Finals held yesterday at Canoe Lakes, Southsea after losing in the final to second seed Rina Hayamizu.

Da Silva, who was top seed, had a bye in round one and then beat Katrina Ozeta in the second round 4 – 1, 4 – 2. In the quarters she defeated sixth seed Poppy Marston 4 – 2, 5 – 3 followed by third seed Poppy Savory in the semis 6 -3, 6 – 4 before losing to Hayamizu in the final 7 – 5, 6 – 0.

Sue Da Silva said, “After a fiercely contested first set Kirsty served for it at 5-4 up but couldn’t quite get over the line and her extremely consistent and more experienced opponent, held on to take the first set.” she added, “The intensity of the first set and extreme heat seemed to affect Kirsty more in the second and she couldn’t quite re-create her highly aggressive, powerful game and despite her best efforts, had to settle for second place.”

The annual Road to Wimbledon competition is the biggest junior tournament in British Tennis and gives all 14 and under players the opportunity to progress through to compete on the world famous grass courts at Wimbledon. Local clubs, parks and schools are encouraged to enter and stage a tournament for their junior players and Totally Tennis is a keen supporter of this tournament having had many players get through to play at SW19 in the past. As runner-up Da Silva will now attend a tennis clinic with Tim Henman at Wimbledon on Saturday 18th August along with all the other county final runners-up.

Well done Kirsty 🙂

Kirsty Da Silva Wins Road To Wimbledon Club Event

This year’s Totally Tennis HSBC Road to Wimbledon (U14) club event was won by performance player Kirsty Da Silva who won all her matches beating Amberly Chapman 4-0, 4-0 and Tinuke Adelakun 4-0, 4-1. The runner-up spot went to Adelakun who defeated Chapman 4-0, 4-1. Da Silva, who is also a Sherfield School Tennis Scholar, will now compete in the county finals which will take place over the weekend of 14th and 15th July at Canoe Lakes in Southsea. 

Fellow performance players and Sherfield Tennis Scholars Dean Cooper Kirby and Aaron Dawson competed in the Road to Wimbledon International 2018 – 14U Boys Singles South West Regional Qualifier held at the East Gloucestershire Club in Cheltenham. This event was open to highly rated British players only. Top seed Cooper Kirby was one of the four qualifiers of the event after beating both Callum Matthew and Sebastian Pasmore 6-1, 6-0 respectively and then defeating club mate Dawson 6-2, 7-6(4).

Coach Jamie Jordan said “Congratulations Kirsty and good luck in the Hampshire County Finals this weekend.  he added, “Congratulations to Dean for winning in the International event.”

The two winners (boy and girl) of each County Final will be invited to play at Wimbledon from 12th – 18th August in the National Finals (an additional four lucky losers from the County Finals will also be invited to the National Finals). Da Silva will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of many her former Totally Tennis players.

The Road to Wimbledon International has expanded in Asia with competitions across China, Hong Kong SAR, India and for the first time this year, in Japan. The UK qualifying leg of The Road to Wimbledon International – open to highly rated British youngsters ran from 23th – 24th June. Two girls and four boys at the GB Regional events will qualify for the grade 2 Finals taking place from Sunday 12 to Saturday 18 August 2018 at Wimbledon. They will be joined at the International Finals by qualifying players from India, China, Hong Kong and Japan events.

The Road to Wimbledon is the biggest junior tournament in British tennis and gives all 14U players the opportunity to progress through to compete on the world famous grass courts at Wimbledon. Local clubs, parks and schools are encouraged to enter and stage a tournament for their members/pupils rated between 10.2 and 7.1. For stronger rated players (6.2 or higher) there is the HSBC Road to Wimbledon International event which players can enter directly.

Congratulations Kirsty and Dean 😉

Photo used with courtesy of JamieJordanTennis. Additional information sourced from www.roadtowimbledon.com

 

Hignett Meets Henman at Wimbledon

Totally Tennis performance player Isla Hignett met British tennis legend Tim Henman at the weekend’s HSBC Road to Wimbledon tennis clinic along with the other county final runners-up who travelled from all the UK to take part.

The clinic, with Henman and Dan Bloxham, was held on the famous grass courts in SW19 on Saturday. They played drills on court for an hour and half with some of the overseas juniors helping with hitting and motivating the players. The tennis session was followed by lunch and a photo opportunity with Henman before a tour of the grounds and Wimbledon museum.

 

Older brother Liam, who accompanied Isla to the event, was himself a competitor in the National Road To Wimbledon finals back in 2014.

 

 

July In Pictures

See what’s been happening at Totally Tennis in July in pictures 🙂

Coaches Ben Jubin and Shyam Vithlani enjoyed a day at the Wimbledon Championships

It was the TT Tour Grand Slam Wimbledon event that William (above 2nd right) and Charlie (below 3rd left) won in their respective age groups

Kirsty Da Silva was runner-up in her first Grade 4 final in the GSM Bampton 12U Girls Summer County Tour in Oxford

This year’s Totally Tennis team retained the club’s unbeaten record in the annual Festival of Sport event against twin town Euskirchen. Head coach James McIntosh (pictured below) ran the tennis competition at the indoor centre

McIntosh and Jubin ran the North Waltham Primary Schools Wimbledon event at the indoor centre

Kirsty Da Silva (pictured left) and her partner Amelia Pirt won the Grade 4 Leys Junior Doubles 16 and under title at Leys Recreation Ground in Oxford.

Isla Hignett was runner-up in the 14 and under Girls singles Road to Wimbledon (RTW) County Finals held at Canoe Lake Leisure in Southsea.

The Sherfield School Boys team, which consists of four Totally Tennis performance players, completed in the Team Tennis Schools National Championships Finals 2016-2017 (formerly known as the Glanville Cup) at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.

Totally Tennis played host to a Benenden Tennis Festival with a Summertime Slam event open to both mini red and orange players run by performance players Miles Bromilow and Liam Hignett. 

Hayden Cummings and William Durman (pictured above L to R) were the overall winners in the two Benenden Festival events.

 

Road To Wimbeldin County Runner-Up Spot for Isla

Totally Tennis performance player Isla Hignett was runner-up in this year’s 14 and under Girls singles Road to Wimbledon (RTW) County Finals held at Canoe Lake Leisure in Southsea last weekend.

After a bye in the first round Hignett defeated Maya Gupta 4-0, 4-0 in round two followed by Nakshatra Sridhar 4-1, 4-0 in the quarters and Mia Gerty 4-1, 4-0 in the semis. She was beaten in the finals by Martyna Ciubatiuk 4-2, 5-3 who will go on to represent Hampshire & IOW in the National Finals held at Wimbledon in August. Hignett will get to attend a tennis clinic with Tim Henman and Dan Bloxham at Wimbledon on Saturday 19th August along with all the other county final runners-up.

Tim Henman at the 2016 tennis clinic held for all the county finals runner-ups

Clubmate Tillie Reid also played, she had a bye in round one then beat Egna Kuda Mutedzi 4-0, 4-0 in her second round match and Poppy Marston 4-0, 4-1 in the quarters before losing to eventual winner Ciubatiuk in the semis 4-0, 4-0.

HSBC Road to Wimbledon is the biggest junior tournament in British tennis and gives all players 14 & under the opportunity to progress through to compete on the world famous grass courts in SW19. Last year nearly 8000 juniors participated in the RTW event via their club, park or school with 144 players qualifying to play at Wimbledon at the National Finals.

Additional information and Tim Henman photo used courtesy of www.roadtowimbledon.com

 

 

May and June In Pictures

See what’s been happening at Totally Tennis in May and June in pictures 🙂

The first Great British Tennis Weekend (GBTW) at Totally Tennis

Year 3 and 4 primary schools tournament hosted by Totally Tennis

Steph Catlin joined the coaching team

She Rallies workshop at the Indoor Centre

The Totally Tennis Girls 14 & under team (pictured above and below) won the Premier 14&U Girls Tier 2 South West (East)

Totally Tennis Schools Roadshow Open Days Weekend

Isla Hignett won the Totally Tennis HSBC Road to Wimbledon event

The Sherfield School sixth form team of Liam Hignett, Miles Bromilow, Alex Dawson and Dean Cooper Kirby won the Hampshire/Dorset/Wiltshire knockout stage of the Glanville Cup.

The Totally Tennis U10 team won the Aegon Team Tennis Hampshire & IOW 2017 10&U Mixed Division league

The Hampshire Court coaching team gave free tennis sessions at the Old Basing Village Carnival

Totally Tennis performance player Liam Hignett won the David Lloyd Southampton Aegon British Tour FAST4 Open Mens singles title

Performance players Jasmin Bromilow and Isla Hignett met Judy Murray at a regional She Rallies event

 

Hignett Wins HSBC Road to Wimbledon Club Event

Five girls competed in this year’s Totally Tennis HSBC Road to Wimbledon (U14) club event which was won by Isla Hignett with Tillie Reid finishing as runner-up. Hignett won all her matches beating Reid 4-1, 4-0, Amberly Chapman 4-0, 4-0, Atinuke Adelakun 4-0, 4-0 and Kirsty Da Silva 4-0, 4-0. Reid beat Da Silva 4-0, 5-3 and both Adelakun and Chapman 4-0, 4-0. Hignett will now play in the county finals which will take place over the weekend of 15th & 16th July at Canoe Lakes in Southsea. Reid will have to wait and see if she makes the final as one of the lucky runners-up.

Head Coach James Macintosh said “Congratulations to Isla who has managed to qualify for the county event for the second year running.” he added, “Also well done to Tillie who was the runner up this year and hopefully she will get the opportunity to take part in the county finals for the first time“.

The two winners (boy and girl) of each County Final will be invited to play at Wimbledon from 14th – 19th August in the National Finals (an additional four lucky losers from the County Finals will also be invited to the National Finals). Hignett will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of her former Totally Tennis players and her older brother Liam who played at the National Finals in 2014.

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon is the biggest junior tournament in British tennis and gives all 14U players the opportunity to progress through to compete on the world famous grass courts at Wimbledon. Local clubs, parks and schools are encouraged to enter and stage a tournament for their members/pupils rated between 10.2 and 7.1. For stronger rated players (6.2 or higher) there is the HSBC Road to Wimbledon International event which players can enter directly.

Congratulations Isla and Good Luck in the County Finals next month 🙂

From the archives

Isla Wins HSBC Road To Wimbledon Club Tournament and Hignett On Road to Wimbledon

July in Pictures

Liam Hignett won the Boys 18U singles title at the Windsor Open tournament (pictured above with his prizes and below with runner-up Sahej Maker)

Hignett was then runner-up in the Men’s singles at the Windsor Open

Isla Hignett competed in the Road To Wimbledon County Finals on a rare sunny day in Southsea

This month’s Great British Tennis Weekend took place at Stratton Park

 

Girls Contest Road To Wimbledon County Final

Totally Tennis performance players Isla Hignett and Jasmin Bromilow played in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Hampshire & IOW County 14 U Girls Singles final held in Southsea after finishing winner and runner-up respectively in the club event last month.

Even though the windy conditions made it tricky, Hignett won her first match convincingly 4-0, 4-0 against Poppy Marston but then faced top seed and last year’s winner Estella Hurlock in her next match where she was beaten by the older and higher rated player 4-0, 4-0.  Second seed Bromilow beat Imogen Sillitoe 4-0, 4-0 in her first match and Chloe Tarling in the quarter finals 5-3, 4-o but lost in the semis to Mia Gerty 4-2, 5-3. Hurlock then beat Gerty in the final 4-0, 5-3 to progress to the next stage and play at Wimbledon next month.

Isla and her dog Lilly enjoying Southsea Beach after the tournament had finished

Donella Hignett (Isla’s mum) said of the event “It was played at the Southsea Tennis Club which is closer to the beach on hard courts as the grass wasn’t ready.  It was extremely windy making conditions quite tricky.” she added “Both girls received bottles and headbands as participation prizes.“

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon competition is the biggest junior tournament in British Tennis and gives all 14 and under players the opportunity to progress through to compete on the world famous grass courts at Wimbledon. Local clubs, parks and schools are encouraged to enter and stage a tournament for their junior players and Totally Tennis is a keen supporter of this annual tournament having had many squad players get through to play at SW19 in the past including Hignett’s older brother Liam.