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Laura Robson gave a valiant display in her Wimbledon ladies' singles debut in sliding to a narrow defeat against Daniela Hantuchova.
The 15-year-old, who won last year's junior title at SW19, fully justified the wildcard given to her by the All England Club with a tremendous performance on Court Two against the world No32.
Robson, No488 in the rankings, was rewarded for a superb start by claiming the first set before Hantuchova came back to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 53 minutes.
It was ultimately a measure of her inexperience that she conceded both the second and third sets with double faults but she gave a superb account to suggest this defeat will be merely a footnote in a long career.
Robson said: “I am still a bit upset but I am proud of myself because I thought I played a really good match and in the end a couple of things let me down a bit.
“My second serve wasn't as consistent as usual and that probably had something to do with the whole atmosphere.
“I made too many mistakes when I shouldn't have done but I was getting used to the court and just trying to get as many returns in as possible.
“That was my grand slam debut and I played a really good match. It was different to juniors but it's not that much different. If I had got killed love and love, I would have a different opinion but I didn't.”
As one of the Tour's principal pin-ups, Slovakian star Hantuchova is used to the cameras being trained on her but all 18 photographers had their lenses firmly fixed on the British player, yet it did not faze her.
Neither did the milestone of playing the first match on Wimbledon's new 4,000-capacity court, which is sunken into the ground to give the feel of an intimate amphitheatre.
Robson won the toss, elected to serve and promptly delivered a 103mph ace as she raced into a 3-0 lead.
The Briton's aggression put Hantuchova on the back foot and a stunning backhand winner down the line set up two break points in the second game, the second of which she converted by forcing the Slovakian into a mistake thanks to a fierce return.
Hantuchova forced three chances of her own to put the match back on serve but Robson then gave the perfect example of how well she could play the key points under pressure. Rather than buckle, she trusted her big serve and followed up by rifling down a forehand to deliver a one-two punch any top-10 player in the world would be proud of.
Hantuchova, who reached the quarter-finals here in 2002, needed all her experience simply to get a foothold in the match and she promptly broke back to put the match back on serve at 3-2. But Robson remained unperturbed and regained the advantage in the very next game before a vital hold consolidated the break at 5-2.
Hantuchova's camp were becoming increasingly vocal in an attempt to rally their charge but Robson forced a set point only for a nearby police siren to distract her mid-rally and dump an awful backhand into the bottom of the net.
However, the alarm bells were ringing for Hantuchova again as Robson continued to serve superbly to close out the first set in 38 minutes.
There was no sign of Robson's level dropping in the second set as the purity of her groundstrokes, mixed with continuing aggression, enabled her to dominate her more illustrious opponent and victory appeared a distinct possibility as she broke to lead by a set and 3-2.
But Hantuchova levelled the set in the next game and, for the first time, the pressure appeared to be affecting Robson's game. As the Briton served at set point down in the 10th game, she threw in a double fault to allow Hantuchova to level the match and with it take the momentum into the final set.
To her credit, Robson did not capitulate as the match stayed on serve until a sloppy sixth game in which she netted a routine backhand down the line to gift her rival a break point.
Heartbreakingly, she served another double fault and suddenly her hopes were slipping away.
Hantuchova won the next game to go 5-2 ahead and although Robson saved one match point with an ace, a double fault then ended her hopes.
In losing, Robson earned £10,750 but she can expect much-bigger paydays. She can now focus on defending her junior title next week, when she will start as one of the favourites.
She said: “It's different because it's against juniors and I will have the pressure of defending my title but I will think about it next week.”
Reader views (4)
Laura Robson is a beautiful, talented young lady. She is so lucky to have parents who know that her education comes first but are allowing her to continue improving her game. We will, I am sure, be seeing much more of her on Court in the next few years. GOOD LUCK LAURA - keep playing and keep studying!
- Annb, Surrey, 23/06/2009 15:07
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She looks like a future winner needs to play with the big
girls from now on.
- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh Essex, 23/06/2009 13:17
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Such a great shame she lost. She looked so impressive in that first set and at many other points during the game. If only she had had the mental strength and experience to see out that second set.
But that part of her game will naturally improve as time goes on and everything else in her game looks very impressive.
Now let's get behind her and help her defend her girls' title. There's always next year for the main tournament, but she won't be able to win the girls' title many more times.
P.S. It was also nice to watch a game with two players who weren't screeching their lungs out every time they hit a shot. Don't tell me it's a natural reaction, when there are so many players who don't do it at all who prove otherwise.
- Alex, London, 22/06/2009 16:28
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It's a shame that she lost, but she was up against a very good player. To be honest, I think she probably does need to be playing regularly on the womens' circuit now, even though she is only 15. I am of an age to remember very young players like Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger and Pam Shriver (all about 14-15) playing at Wimbledon and. Hopefully the experience will stand Laura in good stead going forward.
- Blue Baby, London, 22/06/2009 14:57
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