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British tennis hopes rest on 14-year-old...from Wimbledon
Benedict Moore-Bridger, Evening Standard03.07.08
Teenager who lives just yards from the All England Club was today one of Britain's best hopes for Wimbledon glory following Andy Murray's defeat to Rafael Nadal.
Grand Slam hopeful Laura Robson today faces the ninth seed, Serbian Bojana Jovanovski, in the quarter-finals of the girls' singles, having already knocked out the top seed.
The 14-year-old, who lives just five minutes from Wimbledon's centre court, has been tipped as one of Britain's rising stars, with many predicting she will break into the world's top rankings within five years.
If she wins the girls' singles title, she would follow in the footsteps of her childhood hero and former Wimbledon champion Martina Hingis.
With Britain's best hope Andy Murray beaten, attention has now turned to the shy teenager, who has been flattered by the extra interest.
She said: "Wimbledon is so special that this week means a lot more. The extra attention is part of the process of moving from juniors to seniors.
"The atmosphere on court was really good, there were so many people supporting me, which was nice."
She added: "I am just doing what I'm doing and people are talking. I try not to let things like that put too much pressure on me, but it is nice to be getting compliments, that means I'm doing well."
Melbourne- born Laura came to SW19 with her Australian parents when she was six after her Shell executive father's job moved to London.
She now trains at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, has already targeted a world top 10 position and is on course to realise her ambition.
She said: "Top 10 is good for me. Hopefully I don't get injured. I used to watch Martina Hingis a lot. I liked the way she played because it was so smart. I try to bring that into my tennis."
Left-hander Robson has already raced into the Lawn Tennis Association's junior rankings as the youngest person in the girls' top 10, with chief executive of the LTA Roger Draper pointing Robson out as "one for the future".
Despite her success at Wimbledon, however, she will not be allowed to take part in the US Open juniors this summer because of age restrictions brought in by the Women's Tennis Association. She will have used up her quota of tournaments as a child, and so will not be able to compete. But she will continue her rise to the top in January's Australian Open contest.
The last time a British girl won the singles tournament was in 1984 when Annabel Croft lifted the trophy. Two girls' champions since then, Ms Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo, have gone on to win the Wimbledon ladies' title.
