Wimbledon calling

TENNIS by Jackie Thorley

Ace Amy takes aim on a trip to All England Club

NORTH Staffs teenager Amy Ellis faces a tense wait to discover if she will compete at Wimbledon in the finals of a national junior competition. The Newcastle 13-year-old is keeping her fingers crossed as she waits for organisers of the national Under-14 Road to Wimbledon tournament to announce who will travel to SW19 in August. Amy missed out on an automatic entry, after being nudged into the runner-up slot of the Staffordshire section of the competition by Katie Woodbine. The south Staffs youngster clinched the first set 6-4 and raced to a 6-0 victory in the second. The opening round of the Road to Wimbledon event is staged at clubs throughout Britain, with winners progressing to their county final. The boys and girls' champions are rewarded with a trip to the All England Club to compete against the best under-14 players in the country. However, in recent years, many county runners-up have received a call-up to the main draw, and the Basford junior is hoping she will strike lucky. "Amy was cross that she lost the county final and is well aware that she may not get the chance to go to Wimbledon. But of course she would dearly love to play on those grass courts. It is just a question now of waiting to see what happens," said her mum, Gill.

Sentinel, 26 June 2007
Courtesy of The Sentinel News & Media