Latest news with #MimiXu
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sport
- Sky News
Meet the three British teenagers handed Wimbledon wildcards
It's every young tennis player's dream to be good enough to one day play in the Wimbledon main draw against the best in the world. For three British teenagers, that's exactly what's about to happen. Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic, both 16, and 17-year-old Mimi Xu have all been rewarded for their exceptional results with Wimbledon wildcards. Essential guide to Wimbledon 2025 Xu is going to have the full-blown Wimbledon experience. She's drawn just about the most high-profile match of the first round, an all-British encounter against Emma Raducanu. 1:26 Big court, big crowds - it couldn't really have been any bigger in terms of profile, but it seems she was the last to know. "I was moving to my Airbnb this morning and I got a text from my coach saying it's a great draw... and everyone was texting my mum... and I'm like 'who am I playing... what's going on?' And eventually I get to know it's Emma Raducanu." Xu, from Swansea, has already left junior tennis behind and has started playing on the main tour with some good results, including wins over top 100 players. She says she's confident in her game, has practised with Emma a few times and is just going to try to "embrace every moment". "It doesn't come around very often, this won't happen a lot in my lifetime, so I'm just ready to go out and enjoy it... enjoy every moment. I'll probably get the full 10 years of Wimbledon experience in one day, so yeah... I'm ready for it!" Klugman, who is a local and lives walking distance from the All England Club, will still contest the girls' title this year and has just reached the final of the French Open Juniors. Still, it's a massive step up to play in the main draw and she's been taking advice from someone who knows a fair bit about playing with the pressure of being a Brit at Wimbledon. "Tim Henman spoke to me and basically said: 'What is the worst that can happen? You lose, that's literally it... just enjoy it'. It's not going to change me, it's just a little stepping stone." Klugman has drawn Canada's Leylah Fernandez, the 29th seed, who lost in the final of the US Open to Emma Raducanu. She has been a hitting partner for her before, but there will be nerves. "Obviously, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some nerves, but I think you know I embrace it, I love these opportunities, I love the pressure. No matter what happens... I'm going to go for it!" Mika Stojsavljevic, from Ealing in west London, is the reigning US Open Girls' champion. She will also play the junior event here, but is excited to take her place in her home grand slam. For these teenagers, it's like a free hit. They're not expected to win, but they are expected to soak up the experience. And for their parents, it's also special. "I remember FaceTiming my mum after I found out [about the wildcard], she just couldn't believe it. She just said, no you didn't... and I said 'yeah, I did' - really excited." She will be up against the 31st seed, Ashlyn Krueger, and she's ready for it. "I love playing personally on bigger courts at bigger occasions, I think it makes me rise to the challenge and play even better. So hopefully that will be the case here as well." There are 23 British players lining up at Wimbledon this year, and these three junior stars have brought down the average age as well as making a little bit of British tennis history.
The National
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Draper on collision course with Djokovic & Sinner in Wimbledon draw
The 23-year-old goes into the tournament as a genuine title contender for the first time after climbing to fourth in the world rankings and will take on Argentinian Sebastian Baez in the opening round. But from there things are set to get significantly tougher with former finalist Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent and Alexander Bublik, the player he lost to in the fourth round of the French Open and who won the big grass-court warm-up event in Halle last weekend, his first scheduled seeded rival in the third round. Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has made the final in every edition since 2017, could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw and will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini. Emma Raducanu will take on 17-year-old wild card Mimi Xu, one of three home teenage debutants, in an eye-catching opening round. The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section. ✨ The opening round draw for the Brits at @Wimbledon in full: Jack Draper vs Sebastian BaezJacob Fearnley vs Joao FonsecaCam Norrie vs Roberto Bautista AgutBilly Harris vs Hubert HurkaczDan Evans vs Jay ClarkeJack Pinnington Jones vs Tomás Martín EtcheverryHenry Searle… — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 It was a nightmare draw for the leading British women, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger. The bottom quarter of the women's event could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time. Mimi Xu will face Emma Raducanu (Bradley Collyer/PA) There is also an all-British contest in the first round of the men's draw, with veteran Dan Evans facing fellow wild card Jay Clarke. The winner of that is likely to get a shot at Djokovic while 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who came through qualifying to make it 23 British players in the main singles draws, has the carrot of a second-round meeting with Alcaraz if he can beat Leandro Riedi. British number two Jacob Fearnley will try to get a first win against hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie takes on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who performed strongly at Queen's Club. Hull's Johannus Monday was given the toughest draw of the British debutants on the men's side against 13th seed Tommy Paul, while Jack Pinnington Jones will take on Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry and Oliver Crawford faces Mattia Bellucci of Italy.
The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Draper on collision course with Djokovic & Sinner in Wimbledon draw
But from there things are set to get significantly tougher with former finalist Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent and Alexander Bublik, the player he lost to in the fourth round of the French Open and who won the big grass-court warm-up event in Halle last weekend, his first scheduled seeded rival in the third round. Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has made the final in every edition since 2017, could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw and will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini. Emma Raducanu will take on 17-year-old wild card Mimi Xu, one of three home teenage debutants, in an eye-catching opening round. The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section. ✨ The opening round draw for the Brits at @Wimbledon in full: Jack Draper vs Sebastian BaezJacob Fearnley vs Joao FonsecaCam Norrie vs Roberto Bautista AgutBilly Harris vs Hubert HurkaczDan Evans vs Jay ClarkeJack Pinnington Jones vs Tomás Martín EtcheverryHenry Searle… — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 It was a nightmare draw for the leading British women, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger. The bottom quarter of the women's event could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time. Mimi Xu will face Emma Raducanu (Bradley Collyer/PA) There is also an all-British contest in the first round of the men's draw, with veteran Dan Evans facing fellow wild card Jay Clarke. The winner of that is likely to get a shot at Djokovic while 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who came through qualifying to make it 23 British players in the main singles draws, has the carrot of a second-round meeting with Alcaraz if he can beat Leandro Riedi. British number two Jacob Fearnley will try to get a first win against hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie takes on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who performed strongly at Queen's Club. Hull's Johannus Monday was given the toughest draw of the British debutants on the men's side against 13th seed Tommy Paul, while Jack Pinnington Jones will take on Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry and Oliver Crawford faces Mattia Bellucci of Italy.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Teenage sensation Mimi Xu insists she CAN beat British No 1 Emma Raducanu as the pair prepare to face off at Wimbledon
Mimi Xu, aged all of 17, will take to one of Wimbledon 's premier courts on Monday to play her childhood hero Emma Raducanu - and she will do so fully believing she can win. 'Recently I've been playing really well,' said Xu, the Welsh daughter of Chinese parents. 'My game really suits grass, I'm really confident in my game at the moment. So I'm gonna go out there, enjoy every moment, give it a good go. I believe I've got a good chance if I do all that.' Xu is right to be confident. She has had a fantastic few weeks, reaching the quarter-finals in Birmingham and recording a debut WTA Tour win in Nottingham. And Raducanu is still contending with the lingering effects of a back spasm. 'We were moving into an Airbnb this morning,' said Xu, 'and I get a message from my coach, 'What an exciting draw'. And then my mum's getting messages saying: 'That's so good, so exciting' - but none of them were saying the name. 'I'm like: 'Oh my gosh, what is the draw? Who am I playing?' Eventually someone told me I'm playing Emma. I feel like I'm really ready for it. I'm really excited for it.' For players of Xu's age - she is part of a golden generation, with 16-year-old colleagues Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavlevic also making their debuts this week - Raducanu's US Open title in 2021 made her a hero. 'I was at Loughborough (one of the LTA's high performance centres, where Xu trains and studies) when she was playing the US Open final, me and the other girls were huddled around the TV,' recalled Xu. 'S he's a really good role model to have. 'The first time I hit with her was probably three years ago and she was really nice. She's a lovely person.' Xu and Raducanu have more in common than prodigious tennis ability. Both have Chinese heritage - Raducanu through her mother's side, while Xu's parents are both from China - and both are top students. Xu did maths A Level last year - two years early - and will do economics next year; the same A Levels Raducanu did. Xu is also doing biology - she sat two exams the day after matches in Birmingham and Nottingham. In terms of A Levels, then, Xu will soon have Raducanu pipped by three to two. Can she also overcome her on the court?
The Independent
11 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.'
