Wimbledon qualifying: GB’s Hannah Klugman beaten by Alycia Parks – BBC Sport

Updated 29 minutes ago

British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman missed out on reaching the main Wimbledon draw as she lost her final qualifying match.

The 15-year-old, who grew up playing tennis close to the All England Club, was beaten 6-3 6-3 by American Alycia Parks.

Klugman, ranked 623rd in the world, needed one more victory to seal her place at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.

She broke early in the first set, but could not maintain the momentum against her 23-year-old opponent, who is ranked 402 places higher.

There was better news for Britain’s Sonay Kartal, 22, who qualified with a 6-3 6-1 win over Russia’s Erika Andreeva.

Meanwhile GB’s Amarni Banks, 21, was beaten 6-3 6-0 by Canadian Marina Stakusic

Current US Open champion Coco Gauff became the youngest modern-day Wimbledon qualifier at 15 years and 122 days in 2019.

Klugman was just eight days older when she faced Parks, and made a dream start by breaking her serve in the opening game.

But Parks broke straight back and was on top from then on, despite the home support for Klugman, hitting 20 winners to six for her opponent.

“She’s a great player and I just kept telling myself to stay focused and keep calm,” said Parks.