‘Play Your Way to Wimbledon’ (PYWTW) a Big Hit with Juniors

This year at Club Towers we hosted our first ever PYWTW event. Juniors born between 2011 and 2014 were eligible to enter, and 8 boys and girls competed in a round robin format last Saturday. The girls were Hema, Milla and Olivia and they each played short sets to 4 games, with sudden death points at deuce. All three girls are in our weekly coaching groups, so good technique and racket control was in evidence from all three. Olivia – being the youngest – won a hard fought match against Hema in the deciding tie-break after reaching 1 set all. It really could have gone either way. Both girls put up a good battle versus Milla too, but Milla had the edge on power and depth of shot, coming through to be crowned our Girls winner for 2025, with Olivia the runner-up by virtue of that tie-break win against Hema. It was great to see Sophia and Siena cheering on the older girls from courtside too.

In the boys event, Arka, Herbie, Theo, Wilfred and William also competed in a round robin group, each playing short sets to 6 games. Great plaudits go to Wilfred who played despite being under the weather on the day, and retiring after two draining matches. Once again the standard of play was impressive with some excellent rallies and solid defence when under pressure. William and Herbie especially dug deep to battle for every point. Their own head-to-head match was a highlight of the day with Herbie taking the spoils 6-3. Theo’s left-handed forehand is a joy to behold and very accurate when he has time to set his backswing and propel his weight through the shot. In the final count up, Arka won all three of his matches and Theo won two, so making Arka our boys winner for 2025 and Theo the runner-up. Well done to all who entered, and for showing a perfect blend of sportsmanship and competitive spirit throughout.

Good luck to both Milla and Arka, who will next play at the county stage PYWTW event in June, with the winners of that event then proceeding to play on the hallowed grass courts of Wimbledon in August. There is also a chance that our runners-up will receive an invitation to the county stage too, depending on the eventual numbers qualified from other clubs.

By playing in LTA recognised events all juniors gain ranking points and can watch their World Tennis Number (WTN) improve over time.. WTN is an internationally recognised ranking system for players of all ages. It is a great way to set personal goals and to match up against players within your club and beyond.

Our adult event for PYWTW is underway currently with four male and three ladies pairs arranging their own round robin matches. Those matches will be completed by 25^th May and the winning pairs will then be invited to the county stage event by the LTA. What a wonderful experience it will be for club members to get within touching distance of reaching those beautiful grass courts at Wimbledon!