Latest news with #MikaStojsavljevic
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Rising star Mimi Xu relishing clash with ‘really good role model' Emma Raducanu
Four years after she burst into public consciousness as a teenage hopeful at Wimbledon, the grass-court shoe will be on the other foot on Monday for Emma Raducanu. One of the standout draws of the first round from a home perspective saw the former US Open champion paired with 17-year-old Mimi Xu, who is among a trio of talented teenage British girls aiming to make a name for themselves. Xu, along with 16-year-old duo Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic, has been rewarded for an impressive junior career and strong early strides in the women's game with a coveted wild card. The Welsh player, ranked 318, was left scrambling to try to find out who she had drawn, saying: 'It's quite funny because we're moving into the Airbnb this morning at five past 10 and I get a message from my coach, and he was like: 'What an exciting draw!' 'And then my mum's getting messages saying, 'That's so good, so exciting this and that', and not saying the name. And I haven't seen the draw. I'm like: 'Oh my gosh, what is the draw? Who am I playing?' 'And no one was replying afterwards, so I went on to the Wimbledon website and it wasn't there, and eventually someone told me I'm playing Emma. 'I feel like I'm really ready for it. I'm really excited for it. Obviously she's done so well in her career and I'm at the beginning of mine. So I think it's going to be a really good test for me, really good opportunity for me to just go out and play and have fun. I think she's a really good role model to have.' Xu came through the Lawn Tennis Association's national academy at Loughborough and remembers watching Raducanu win the US Open in 2021 with the other players who boarded there. The pair are friendly, sometimes talking together in Mandarin, with Xu's parents both of Chinese heritage along with Raducanu's mother. They got to know each other better when Xu was a hitting partner for the British team at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga last November, and the teenager is quietly confident of causing an upset having already beaten two top-100 players on grass this summer. 'I've been playing really well,' she said. 'I was probably the first one on the grass this year. So I think my game really suits grass. I'm really confident in my game at the moment. 'I'm going to go out there, enjoy every moment, give it a good go. And I believe I've got a good chance if I do all that.' Raducanu came into the tournament after a difficult couple of matches at Eastbourne amid 'some really bad' personal news, while she continues to battle a niggling back problem. There were no signs of discomfort when the 22-year-old trained at the All England Club on Friday, although she was well beaten in a practice set on Court One by former champion Elena Rybakina. Raducanu did look a lot more smiley later when she was spotted walking around the grounds with US Open mixed doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz. Her clash with Xu could be scheduled for one of the main courts, which would not phase the teenager. 'I said to my coach: 'When am I going to get to play on Centre Court again or Court One',' said Xu. 'I'm really ready to embrace it and really just go out and enjoy it. At the US Open last year I got to play on Louis Armstrong, which I think was an amazing experience as well. So I've had that kind of big court, big stadium experience. And if I do get to play on that court, I'm really excited.'
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The British teenage trio creating Wimbledon history
Hannah Klugman, Mika Stojsavljevic and Mimi Xu will make their senior Grand Slam debuts at Wimbledon [BBC Sport] Wimbledon 2025 Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage details. Advertisement For the first time in Wimbledon history, there will be three British players aged 17 and under in the women's singles draw. Mika Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu have been rewarded with main-draw wildcards after demonstrating their potential over the past few years. Stojsavljevic, 16, has made the most notable progress, having won the US Open girls' title last year. Last month, Klugman, also 16, became the first Briton in almost 50 years to reach the French Open girls' final. The 17-year-old Xu is ranked just outside the world's top 300 and has already beaten two top-100 opponents on the grass this year. Advertisement Now, having got their GCSE and A-Level exams out of the way, the trio are focusing on their Wimbledon senior debuts. "We've known for a long time that this is a good three-ball on the girls' side," Iain Bates, the LTA's head of women's tennis, told BBC Sport. "All three are on different paths to the top of the game. But their progress shows they are a pack of players - that is the most positive sign right now. "Winning and going far in junior Grand Slams is a massive achievement, but having your friends and peers pushing you to go to the next stage is even more important." Mika Stojsavljevic – 16 - London In April, Stojsavljevic won the girls' title at the British national junior championships [Getty Images] Born in west London to a Serb father and Polish mother, 6ft-tall Stojsavljevic is a big server and clean ball-striker with a similar style to childhood idol Maria Sharapova. Advertisement She became only the third British girl this century to win a Slam title with her US Open victory, and she is the youngest to achieve that feat since Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 2006. Since then, the English teenager has won the British national title - beating Klugman in the final - and taken further steps on the professional circuit at Queen's and Nottingham. Stojsavljevic's talent has been nurtured at the LTA's National Academy in Loughborough, where she has trained while studying full-time for her GCSEs. At Nottingham, she was taking practice papers before matches and finished her exams during the tournament. Hannah Klugman – 16 - London Klugman (right) reached her first major juniors singles final at the French Open, losing to Austria's Lilli Tagger [Getty Images] Klugman, who turned 16 in February, has been touted as an exciting prospect for a few years. Advertisement In 2023, the English player won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships in Florida, emulating the likes of Coco Gauff, Chris Evert and Caroline Wozniacki. Unlike Stojsavljevic and Xu, Klugman did not join the LTA's academy and instead opted to stay at home in Wimbledon. She works with coach Ben Haran out of Reed's School - which also nurtured Jack Draper and Tim Henman - and practises at the National Tennis Centre. Spending two months preparing on clay - including time at Rafael Nadal's academy - fuelled her run to the Roland Garros final, but her solidity from the baseline and touch at the net works well on the grass. Advertisement Klugman has deferred her GCSEs until November to focus on tennis this summer. Mimi Xu – 17 - Swansea Xu was doing online A-Levels tutorials and sitting exams between matches at the recent Nottingham Open [Getty Images] Xu is the most experienced of the trio at senior level and already ranked 302nd in the world. The Welsh teenager left the national academy last year and now works with Nigel Sears - who coached Emma Raducanu during her Wimbledon fourth-round run in 2021 - and national coach Katie O'Brien. Being invited to November's BJK Cup as a practice partner for the British team also aided her development. Xu earned her career-best win by shocking American top seed Alycia Parks - the world number 52 - on her way to the Birmingham quarter-finals earlier this month. Advertisement Described as "super intelligent" by British captain Anne Keothavong, Xu has taken A-Levels early in the past two summers, sitting biology exams between her matches in Birmingham and Nottingham this year. Are they ready for Grand Slam tennis? Making their senior Grand Slam debuts at Wimbledon is a significant landmark for all three players. They were given spots after a meeting between the LTA and the All England Club to discuss which players merit wildcards. As well as the valuable experience, the trio will earn at least £66,000 in prize money to reinvest in their careers. "If you look at their profiles in isolation, you would say all of them are ready for the opportunity to play," said Bates. Advertisement "As I told them all, I hope - and anticipate - they will have many more Wimbledons. "The first one is about showing their level and competing against some of the best in the world. "I think this is the right opportunity and the right time for them." Both Stojsavljevic and Xu won open-age titles on the ITF Tour last year, but the top-level experience of all three has been limited by the WTA Tour's age eligibility rules. Laura Robson (Wimbledon in 2008) and Heather Watson (US Open in 2009) are the only other British juniors to have won Grand Slam girls' titles this century [Getty Images] Before they turn 16, teenage players are restricted to the number of tournaments they can sign up for and at what level. Once a player becomes 16, the rules allow them to compete in up to 12 tournaments across all levels. That increases again when they turn 17. Advertisement "Success in junior tennis is clearly a strong indicator of long-term potential, but it is no guarantee," added Bates. "The challenge for this group of three really is working through each stage of the professional tour, getting the help and support where they can to get opportunities to play up. "This year's Wimbledon is part of that process."
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
The British teenage trio creating Wimbledon history
Wimbledon 2025Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England ClubCoverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage details. For the first time in Wimbledon history, there will be three British players aged 17 and under in the women's singles Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu have been rewarded with main-draw wildcards after demonstrating their potential over the past few 16, has made the most notable progress, having won the US Open girls' title last month, Klugman, also 16, became the first Briton in almost 50 years to reach the French Open girls' 17-year-old Xu is ranked just outside the world's top 300 and has already beaten two top-100 opponents on the grass this having got their GCSE and A-Level exams out of the way, the trio are focusing on their Wimbledon senior debuts."We've known for a long time that this is a good three-ball on the girls' side," Iain Bates, the LTA's head of women's tennis, told BBC Sport."All three are on different paths to the top of the game. But their progress shows they are a pack of players - that is the most positive sign right now. "Winning and going far in junior Grand Slams is a massive achievement, but having your friends and peers pushing you to go to the next stage is even more important." Mika Stojsavljevic – 16 - London Born in west London to a Serb father and Polish mother, 6ft-tall Stojsavljevic is a big server and clean ball-striker with a similar style to childhood idol Maria became only the third British girl this century to win a Slam title with her US Open victory, and she is the youngest to achieve that feat since Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in then, the English teenager has won the British national title - beating Klugman in the final - and taken further steps on the professional circuit at Queen's and talent has been nurtured at the LTA's National Academy in Loughborough, where she has trained while studying full-time for her Nottingham, she was taking practice papers before matches and finished her exams during the tournament. Hannah Klugman – 16 - London Klugman, who turned 16 in February, has been touted as an exciting prospect for a few 2023, the English player won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships in Florida, emulating the likes of Coco Gauff, Chris Evert and Caroline Stojsavljevic and Xu, Klugman did not join the LTA's academy and instead opted to stay at home in works with coach Ben Haran out of Reed's School - which also nurtured Jack Draper and Tim Henman - and practises at the National Tennis two months preparing on clay - including time at Rafael Nadal's academy - fuelled her run to the Roland Garros final, but her solidity from the baseline and touch at the net works well on the has deferred her GCSEs until November to focus on tennis this summer. Mimi Xu – 17 - Swansea Xu is the most experienced of the trio at senior level and already ranked 302nd in the Welsh teenager left the national academy last year and now works with Nigel Sears - who coached Emma Raducanu during her Wimbledon fourth-round run in 2021 - and national coach Katie O' invited to November's BJK Cup as a practice partner for the British team also aided her earned her career-best win by shocking American top seed Alycia Parks - the world number 52 - on her way to the Birmingham quarter-finals earlier this as "super intelligent" by British captain Anne Keothavong, Xu has taken A-Levels early in the past two summers, sitting biology exams between her matches in Birmingham and Nottingham this year. Are they ready for Grand Slam tennis? Making their senior Grand Slam debuts at Wimbledon is a significant landmark for all three were given spots after a meeting between the LTA and the All England Club to discuss which players merit well as the valuable experience, the trio will earn at least £66,000 in prize money to reinvest in their careers."If you look at their profiles in isolation, you would say all of them are ready for the opportunity to play," said Bates."As I told them all, I hope - and anticipate - they will have many more Wimbledons. "The first one is about showing their level and competing against some of the best in the world."I think this is the right opportunity and the right time for them." Both Stojsavljevic and Xu won open-age titles on the ITF Tour last year, but the top-level experience of all three has been limited by the WTA Tour's age eligibility rules. Before they turn 16, teenage players are restricted to the number of tournaments they can sign up for and at what a player becomes 16, the rules allow them to compete in up to 12 tournaments across all levels. That increases again when they turn 17."Success in junior tennis is clearly a strong indicator of long-term potential, but it is no guarantee," added Bates."The challenge for this group of three really is working through each stage of the professional tour, getting the help and support where they can to get opportunities to play up."This year's Wimbledon is part of that process."
Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Three British teenagers handed Wimbledon wildcards
Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic, a pair of British 16-year-olds with rich potential, have been granted wildcards to play in the main draw of Wimbledon in 10 days' time. Both these players have reached finals at junior slam level in the last year, with Stojsavljevic winning September's US Open in apparently nerveless style while Klugman finished as runner-up at the recent French Open. Also on the list is Mingge Xu, who is slightly older at 17, but who claimed a maiden victory at WTA Tour level on Tuesday when she overcame world No 96 Katie Volynets at the Nottingham Open. These three teenagers have been making waves on the junior circuit for some time. History suggests that it is beneficial to be part of a strong cohort of juniors, so that your contemporaries function as both rivals and sparring partners. Emma Raducanu is a direct contemporary of fellow top-50 player Sonay Kartal, although two other girls – Holly Fischer and Kylie Bilchev – seemed just as likely to make it for much of the 2010s. Wimbledon wild cards are a valuable currency, especially now that first-round losers' prize money has climbed to £66,000. The lists released by the All England Club on Wednesday morning show 14 British names for the main singles draws – seven men and seven women – along with one overseas player: double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic, who is making her return from maternity leave aged 35 and is ranked outside the world's top 500. The women's list also includes such familiar names as Heather Watson, Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart and Fran Jones, while former top-30 player Dan Evans – who is due to play Brandon Nakashima on Wednesday at Queen's Club – is the best-known of the male beneficiaries. Also featured are Jay Clarke, Oliver Crawford, George Loffhagen, Johannus Monday, Jack Pinnington Jones and Henry Searle – the last of these being the 19-year-old who won the Wimbledon boys' championship in 2022. Who are the three British teenagers making their Wimbledon debuts? Hannah Klugman (born February 18, 2009) Klugman, 16, grew up in Wimbledon as part of a well-heeled family and received coaching in her younger years from Alison Taylor, wife of 1973 Wimbledon semi-finalist Roger Taylor. She made the headlines in December 2023 when she won the prestigious Orange Bowl under-18 event in Florida at just 14 years old. No British girl had ever claimed that title before. More recently, she has been coached by the experienced Ben Haran, who also contributed to Jack Draper's development. Mika Stojsavljevic (born December 15, 2008) Lives in Acton, west London, and idolises Maria Sharapova. At September's US Open, she became the first British girl to win a junior slam since Laura Robson triumphed at Wimbledon in 2009. The daughter of eastern European parents, her father is a London-born Serb while her mother is from Poland. Like Sharapova, she is a tall player with a big game, while her backhand is a particularly pure strike. While Stojsavljevic, 16, was not as much of a phenomenon in the younger age-groups as Klugman – who developed unusually early – she has come to prominence since turning 14. Minggee Xu (born October 2, 2007) Xu s tarted playing tennis as a child in Swansea before moving to the National Tennis Academy in Loughborough. She is coached by fellow Welsh national Matthew James, a former coach of Emma Raducanu. The 17-year-old has an excellent CV at junior level after becoming the youngest player to enter Junior Wimbledon in 2021 before winning the LTA National Championships a year later. She has previously teamed up with Stojsavljevic in doubles, losing in the final of the girls' tournament at Wimbledon last year and won on her WTA main-draw debut in Nottingham this week beating Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-3 in under 90 minutes.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Britain's next big things for Wimbledon: Meet the two 16-year-old junior Grand Slam stars and a 17-year-old handed £66,000 main draw wildcards into the Championships
Teenagers Hannah Klugman, Mimi Xu and Mika Stojsavljevic will make their senior Wimbledon debuts at this summer's Championships after being awarded main-draw wild cards worth £66,000. Klugman and Stojsavljevic, both 16, and 17-year-old Xu are at the forefront of an exciting generation of British youngsters. Stojsavljevic won the US Open junior title last year and Klugman, who made the final round of Wimbledon qualifying 12 months ago, reached the French Open girls' final earlier this month. Xu, meanwhile, has beaten two top-100 players on grass this month and is close to breaking into the top 300 in the women's game. The trio will be joined in the main draw by more experienced campaigners in Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage and Fran Jones. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has also been given a wild card after returning to the sport following the birth of her son. Seven British men have been given wild cards into the main draw, including veteran Dan Evans, whose ranking has slipped to 199. Jack Pinnington Jones and Johannus Monday - the latest British players to come through the US college system - will both make their debuts, while 19-year-old former junior champion Henry Searle has been given a wild card for a second year. Jay Clarke, Oliver Crawford and George Loffhagen complete the septet. The main draw wildcards are lucrative with players banking £66,000 for appearing in the first round of the Grand Slam. A first round win alone will net players £99,000 at this year's Championships after Wimbledon confirmed prize money last week. A notable absentee among the wildcards was France's Lois Boisson, who produced a stunning run to the French Open semi-finals. Boisson's shock performance saw her ranking rise from the No361 to 65, but her ascent came too late to earn a main draw berth at Wimbledon. The French star will instead have to go through qualifying to reach the main draw.
