US Open – Britwatch: Meet the British players competing in New York

With Brits involved across the draws in New York, this is your one stop shop for finding out who is competing, who they will be facing and how they get on…

KEY UPDATES:

• WEDNESDAY: Emma Raducanu plays Switzerland's world no.12 Belinda Bencic for a place in the semi-finals at 5pm | Matilda Mutavdzic plays in Round 3 of junior girls singles, with Mutavdzic, Maxted & Pinnington-Jones all playing in junior doubles draws | Wheelchair draw has taken place - four Brits involved: Hewett, Reid, Whiley & Lapthorne
• Emma Raducanu won 11 games in a row for the second match running to defeat  world no.43 and reach quarter-finals of the women's singles
• Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury both through to semi-finals of men's doubles on opposite sides of the draw
• Joe Salisbury also through to semi-finals of mixed doubles - Neal Skupski reached the quarter-finals
• Dan Evans achieves best ever US Open performance, coming from two sets down to reach Round 4 of the men's singles before falling to world no.2 Daniil Medvedev
• 10 men's doubles entries saw a new Open Era record for number of British players involved in a men's doubles Grand Slam draw through direct acceptances 
• For the first time in history, three British players progressed through US Open qualifiers - Boulter, Dart and Raducanu all won through to the women's singles main draw
• 26 Brits in action at the 2021 US Open in New York across women's, men's, wheelchair and junior draws

Quck Links

• Women
• Men
• Wheelchair
• Juniors

 

WOMEN

Katie Boulter

Events: Women’s Singles qualifying (world ranking 190)
LTA Support: Pro-Scholarship Programme

Leicestershire’s Boulter is climbing back up the world rankings as she continues her comeback from a serious back injury, and already this year has shown glimpses of the form which took her to a career-high ranking of World No.82 in 2018.  The 25 year old beat rising American star Coco Gauff in February, and spearheaded Britain’s team in a Billie Jean King Cup win over Mexico in April. She had an impressive grass court season, reaching the quarter-finals of the Viking Open Nottingham before withdrawing with an elbow injury, and then taking second seed Aryna Sabalenka to three sets in the second round at Wimbledon. The Leicester City fan will be aiming to navigate qualifying to make what will be her debut appearance in the US Open main draw.

• Qualifying Round 1: won 6-3, 6-2 v. Gabriella Price (USA, world no.712)
• Qualifying Round 2: won 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 v. Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS, world no.139 - qualifying seeded 24)
• Qualifying Round 3: won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 v. Kristina Kucova (SVK, world no.111 - qualifying seeding 8)
• Round 1: lost 6-3, 6-2 v. Liudmila Samsonova (RUS, world no.52)

Harriet Dart

Events: Women’s Singles (world ranking 151), Women's Doubles (world ranking 154)
LTA Support: Pro-Scholarship Programme

North Londoner Dart will be looking to emulate her performances in qualifying in New York that saw her reach the main draw in 2019 – and has shown the recent form to achieve just that.  The 24 year old LTA Pro-Scholarship Programe player defeated two top 100 players at the WTA1000 event in Montreal this month, before losing out in three sets to world No.8 Bianca Andreescu. The British No.4 has also beaten fellow Brits Heather Watson and Emma Raducanu in WTA Tour matches this year.

• Singles
  • Qualifying Round 1: won 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 v. Peyton Stearns (USA, world no.382)
  • Qualifying Round 2: won 7-6(1), 7-6(5) v. Lucrezia Stefanini (ITA, world no.213)
  • Qualifying Round 3: won 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-3 v. Viktoriya Tomova (BUL, world no.117 - qualifying seeded 12)
  • Round 1: lost 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-2 v. Caroline Garcia (FRA, world no.61)
• Women's Doubles - with Hao-Ching Chan (TPE, world no.20)
  • Round 1: lost 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 v. Alizé Cornet (FRA, world no.369) & Fiona Ferro (FRA, world no.658) 

Johanna Konta

Events: Women’s Singles (world ranking 47)
LTA Support: Elite

The British No.1 arrives in New York having been forced to sit out both Wimbledon and the Olympics. The British No.1 had been in fine grass court form earlier in the summer, having won the Viking Open Nottingham title – the first win by a British woman on home soil for 40 years – and has shown signs of that in her US Open preparation too, defeating world No.5 Elina Svitolina at the WTA event in Montreal this month. A former world No.4, Konta reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in 2019, and will be aiming to do well once again this year. The 30 year old is also a past semi-finalist at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and has 39 Grand Slam singles main draw match wins under her belt.

• Round 1: withdrew before match (thigh injury)

Tara Moore

Events: Women's Doubles (world ranking 136)

Making her first appearance at an overseas Grand Slam after five previous appearances at Wimbledon, Moore will be partnering the USA's Emina Bektas in the women's doubles. Moore made headlines at the LTA’s ITF World Tour event in Sunderland in 2019, saving match point at 0-6, 0-5 down to win in three sets.

• Women's Doubles - with Emina Bektas (USA, world no.133) 
  • Round 1: lost 6-2, 6-4 v. Andrea Petkovic (GER, world no.556) & Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS, world no.137)

Emma Raducanu

Events: Women’s Singles (world ranking 150, qualifying seeded 31)
LTA Support: Pro-Scholarship Programme

Kent’s Raducanu shot to national prominence this summer with a series of sensational performances that took her into the second week at Wimbledon on what was her Grand Slam debut. She has since built on that to reach a new career high ranking this month and become the British No.3, finishing runner-up in the WTA Challenger event in Chicago this month. The 18 year old LTA Pro-Scholarship Programme player is regarded as one of the most promising of the next generation of British players, and as a junior, she reached the quarter-finals of the girls singles at the US Open and Wimbledon in 2018. Already a winner of multiple titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour, she combined the early stages of her professional tennis career with her academic studies, achieving an A* in Maths and an A in Economics in her A Level results earlier this month. As a 13 year old, the Bromley-based player became the youngest ever winner of an ITF Under-18 event when she claimed the title at a junior international event in Liverpool back in 2015. Raducanu is also an ambassador for the LTA Youth programme, which aims to help more children enjoy the benefits of playing and staying in tennis, whatever their age, gender, ability, disability or background.

• Qualifying Round 1: won 6-1, 6-2 v. Bibiane Schoofs (NED, world no.283)
• Qualifying Round 2: won 6-3, 7-5 v. Mariam Bolkvadze (GEO, world no.167)
• Qualifying Round 3: won 6-1, 6-4 v. Mayar Sherif (EGY, world no.95)
• Round 1: won 6-2, 6-3 v. Stefanie Voegele (SWI, world no.128)
• Round 2: won 6-2, 6-4 v. Shuai Zhang (CHN, world no.49)
• Round 3: won 6-0, 6-1 v. Sara Sorribes Tormo (SPA, world no.41)
• Round 4: won 6-2, 6-1 v. Shelby Rogers (USA, world no.43)
• Quarter-finals: v. Belinda Bencic (SUI, world no.12 - seeded 11)

Heather Watson

Events: Women’s Singles (world ranking 62)
LTA Support: Elite

Guernsey’s Watson is no stranger to success at Grand Slams, having won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with Finland’s Henri Kontinen in 2016, and the Junior US Open crown in 2009. However, although she has multiple Grand Slam match wins under her belt, she is seeking what would be her first ever main draw singles win at the US Open.  Watson had a good grass court season this summer in the build up to Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals of the Viking Classic Birmingham, and has shown good form on the hard courts of America in defeating a couple of top 100 players at the recent WTA1000 event in Cincinnati before falling to world no.1 Ash Barty. The 29 year old is a stalwart of the Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team, and is ranked as Britain’s No.1 in doubles.

• Round 1: v. lost 6-1, 6-4 Kaja Juvan (SVN, world no.109)

MEN

Luke Bambridge

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 59)
LTA Support: NTC Access

Nottingham’s Luke Bambridge first started playing doubles in the garden with his three sisters. He will be partnering fellow Brit, Ken Skupski in the doubles in New York this year. The 26 year old has been firmly established as a top 100 doubles player for the past three years and will be making his fourth consecutive appearance at Flushing Meadows, reaching the quarter-finals in 2019. Bambridge was also part of the Great Britain team that won the 2011 Junior Davis Cup for the first time alongside Evan Hoyt and Kyle Edmund.

• Men's Doubles - with Ken Skupski (GBR, world no.60)
  • Round 1: lost 6-3, 6-3 v. John Peers (AUS, world no.25) & Filip Polasek (SVK, world no.14) - seeded 8 

Dan Evans

Events: Men’s Singles (world ranking 27), Men's Doubles (world ranking 61)
LTA Support: Elite

British No.1 Dan Evens plays in the main draw at the US Open for the fifth time this year, having reached the last 32 on three of his previous four appearances in New York. A member of the Great Britain team that won the World Junior Tennis title, aged 14, Evans has had an outstanding couple of years. This year, Birmingham-born player claimed his first ATP Tour title at the Murray River Open in Melbourne in February, and defeated World No.1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April, going on to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 singles semi-final. The 31 year old has now played over 50 Grand Slam singles and doubles matches, including memorable wins over the likes of Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic, while in 2016 he took Stan Warwinka to five sets on the Swiss’ run to lifting the US Open title.

Lloyd Glasspool

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 88)
LTA Support: NTC Access

Glasspool will be partnering fellow Brit Dan Evans in the men’s doubles at the US Open, as he makes his overseas Grand Slam debut after three appearances at Wimbledon. The 27 year old from the west Midlands will be aiming to build on a successful start to 2021 that has seen him claim ATP Challenger titles in Gran Canaria and Biella, and the ATP 250 in title Marseille, as well recording his first Grand Slam wins to reach the third round at SW19. Those performances saw Glasspool break into the world’s top 100 doubles players for the first time this summer, with him taking to the courts in New York at a career high in the ATP rankings.

• Men's Doubles - with Dan Evans (GBR, world no.61)
  • Round 1: lost 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 2-1 (retired) v. Marcus Daniell (NZL, world no.43) & Marcelo Demoliner (BRA, world no.51) 

Dom Inglot

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 63)
LTA Support: NTC Access

Londoner Dom Inglot learned to play tennis at school in Ealing, West London. Now one of nine British men ranked inside the world’s top 100 doubles players, Inglot will be making his 10th appearance at the US Open and his 37^th at a Grand Slam. The 35 year old is a former men’s doubles semi-finalist in New York and at Wimbledon – the venue where he also starred as a tennis double for Paul Bettany in the 2004 Hollywood film ‘Wimbledon’.

• Men's Doubles - with Austin Krajicek (USA, world no.44)
  
  • Round 1: won 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10) v. Harri Heliovaara (FIN world no.76) & Henri Kontinen (FIN, world no.45)
  • Round 2: lost 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 v. Evan King (USA, world no.136) & Hunter Reese (USA, world no.113)

Andy Murray

Events: Men’s Singles (world ranking 114)
LTA Support: Elite

Former US Open champion Andy Murray is on the verge of returning to the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time since 2018. Now the British No.4, 34 year old Murray has returned to the tour following hip surgery to continue what has been a stellar career.  The Scot has played over 1,000 career matches and competed at more than 50 Grand Slam tournaments, winning three of them, as well as famously claiming Olympic gold medals in both London and Rio.

• Round 1: lost 2-6, 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 v. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE, world no.3, seeded 3)

Jamie Murray

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 22, seeded 7), Mixed Doubles (seeded 5)
LTA Support: Elite

Once again playing with his regular doubles partner Bruno Soares of Brazil, the duo will be seeded seventh for this year’s US Open.  The 35 year old Scot is making his 57th appearance at a Grand Slam and will looking to add to his two men’s doubles titles – including winning the title in New York in 2016 as part of a stellar year that saw him also become world no.1.  Murray is also a five-time mixed doubles Grand Slam title winner, claiming three consecutive wins at the US Open from 2017-19 – two of those wins were alongside the USA’s Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who he partners with again this year.

• Men's Doubles - with Bruno Soares (BRA, world no.11) - seeded 7
  • Round 1: won 6-4, 6-2v. Tommy Paul (USA, world no.187) & Alexei Popyrin (AUS, world no.358)
  • Round 2: won 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 v. Christopher Eubanks (USA, world no.195) & Bjorn Fratangelo (USA, world no.772)
  • Round 3: won 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 v. Dominik Koepfer (GER, world no.142) & Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN, world no.252)
  • Quarter-finals: won 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 v. Marcel Granollers (SPA, world no.5) & Horacio Zeballos (ARG, world no.4) - seeded 2
  • Semi-finals: v. John Peers (AUS, world no.25) & Filip Polasek (SVK, world no.14) - seeded 8
• Mixed Doubles - with Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA, world no.15) - seeded 5 
  • Round 1: lost 2-6, 6-4 (12-10) v. Joran Vliegen (BEL, world no.31) & Andreja Klepac (SLO, world no.29)

Cameron Norrie

Events: Men’s Singles (world ranking 29, seeded 26), Men's Doubles (world ranking 123)
LTA Support: Elite

Norrie goes in to the US Open at a career high world ranking, and just two places behind British No.1 Dan Evans.  The 26 year old has reached the last 32 at each of the other three Grand Slam tournaments in 2021, and will be hoping to do well again in New York after a stellar summer that has seen him finish runner-up at the cinch Championships at The Queens Club and claim his maiden ATP Tour title in Mexico last month. Norrie is the first graduate of the LTA’s Pro-Scholarship Programme, which supports players looking to break in to the world’s top 100, and this year he has already achieved a personal best 37 wins, including defeating world No.4 Dominic Thiem in a run to the final in Lyon.

• Singles
  • Round 1: lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 v. Carlos Alcaraz (SPA, world no.54)
• Men's Doubles - with Jan-Lennard Struff (GER, world no.58)
  • Round 1: lost 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 v. Simone Bolelli (ITA, world no. 34) & Maximo Gonzalez (ARG, world no.27)

Jonny O’Mara

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 74)
LTA Support: NTC Access

Arbroath’s Jonny O’Mara is one of Britain’s crop of doubles specialists, and will be playing in his 13th Grand Slam in what will be his third consecutive appearance at the US Open.  After first round defeats at each of the other Grand Slams this year, the 26-year-old will be looking to emulate the form that took him to a career best quarter final at the Australian Open in 2020.  The former University of Stirling player was also part of the Great Britain university side that defeated the US College team to win the Master U title for the first time in 2017.

• Men's Doubles - with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi  (PAK, world no.57) 
  • Round 1: won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 v. Ariel Behar (URU, world no.49) & Gonzalo Escobar (ECU, world no.47)
  • Round 2: won 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) v. Sander Gille (BEL, world no.32) & Joran Vliegen (BEL, world no.31)
  • Round 3: lost 7-5, 7-5 v. Marcel Granollers (SPA, world no.5) & Horacio Zeballos (ARG, world no.4) - seeded 2

Joe Salisbury

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 6, seeded 4), Mixed Doubles (seeded 2)
LTA Support: Elite

Salisbury is a two time Grand Slam champion, having won the Australian Open Men’s Doubles title alongside Rajeev Ram and this year claiming the Roland Garros mixed doubles title alongside Desirae Krawczyk to became only the second British man to win a major title there in the open era. He will once again be partnering both players for his campaigns in New York in search of more success.  In the last 18 months with Ram, Salisbury has reached the US open and Wimbledon semi-finals, the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, and win and finished runner up at the Australian Open. Now ranked Britain’s No.1 men’s doubles player, the 29 year old from Putney began playing tennis at the age of three and started working with his current coach, Justin Sherring, at age six.  A former World University Games champion, Salisbury also made his Olympic debut last month as part of Great Britain’s team at Tokyo 2020 alongside Andy Murray in the doubles.

• Men's Doubles - with Rajeev Ram (USA, world no.7)
  • Round 1: won 6-3, 6-4 v. Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO, world no.372) & Egor Gerasimov (BEL, world no.1043)
  • Round 2: won 6-3, 6-4 v. John Millman (USA, world no.222) & Thiago Monteiro (BRA, world no.176)
  • Round 3: won 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) v. Rohan Bopanna (IND, world no.48) & Ivan Dodig (CRO, world no.12) - seeded 13
  • Quarter-finals: won 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (12-10) v. Matthew Ebden (AUS, world no.69) & Max Purcell  (AUS, world no.42)
  • Semi-finals: v. Steve Johnson (USA, world no.96) & Sam Querrey (USA, world no.166)
• Mixed Doubles - with Desirae Krawczyk (USA, world no.19)
  • Round 1: won 5-7, 6-3 (10-8) v. Mitchell Krueger (USA, world no.241) & Jamie Loeb (USA, world no.167)
  • Round 2: won 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 v. Belinda Bencic (SUI, world no.164) & Filip Polasek  (SVK, world no.14)
  • Quarter-finals: won 6-1, 1-6, (10-7)v. Demi Schuurs (NED, world no.13) & Sander Gille (BEL, world no.32) - seeded 8
  • Semi-finals: v. v. Jessica Pegula (USA, world no.50) & Austin Krajicek (USA, world no.44)

Ken Skupski

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 60)
LTA Support: NTC Access

This year’s US Open will be the left-handed Liverpool fan’s 39th appearance at a Grand Slam tournament. The 38-year-old reached the quarter-finals of both the men’s and mixed doubles in at Wimbledon in 2017, as well as the same stage of the Australian Open men’s doubles last year, and will be looking to progress beyond the 3^rd round for the first time in New York.

• Men's Doubles - with Luke Bambridge (GBR, world no.59)
  • Round 1: lost 6-3, 6-3 v. John Peers (AUS, world no.25) & Filip Polasek (SVK, world no.14) - seeded 8 

Neal Skupski

Events: Men’s Doubles (world ranking 17), Mixed Doubles (seeded 3)
LTA Support: Elite

The younger of the Skupski brothers, Neal takes to the courts in New York ranked as Great Britain’s No.2 men’s doubles player, behind Joe Salisbury.  He previously reached the semi-finals at the US Open in 2019 ,as well as the quarter-finals at both Roland Garros and the US Open last year. This year has seen Skupski win his fifth ATP Title and move in to the world’s top 20 for the first time, and was part of the Great Britain team for Tokyo 2020 where he partnered Jamie Murray in the doubles. Since returning from Tokyo, Skupski finished runner up in the doubles at the ATP500 event in Washington.

• Men's Doubles - with Jack Sock (USA, world no.128)
  • Round 1: won 6-2, 6-3 v. Laslo Djere (SRB, world no.370) & Filip Krajinovic (SRB, world 313)
  • Round 2: lost (walkover) v. Dominik Koepfer (GER, world no.142) & Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN, world no.252)
• Mixed Doubles - with Alexa Guarachi (CHI, world no.16)
  • Round 1: won 5-7, 6-3 (10-4) v. Samantha Stosur (AUS, world no.55) & Bruno Soares (BRA, world no.11)
  • Round 2: won 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, (10-8) v. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ, world no.491) & Nikola Cacic (SRB, world no.40)
  • Quarter-finals: lost 6-1, 6-3 v. Jessica Pegula (USA, world no.50) & Austin Krajicek (USA, world no.44)

WHEELCHAIR

Alfie Hewett

Events: Men’s Wheelchair Singles (world ranking 2) - seeded 2, Men’s Wheelchair Doubles (world ranking 1)
LTA Support: Elite Wheelchair

Norfolk’s Hewett has five previous Grand Slam singles titles under his belt already, including winning the US Open in both 2018 and 2019, and this year's title at Roland Garros. Having become the sport’s youngest ever world No.1 back in 2018, the 23 year old will again be among the favourites for the title in New York and will be looking to maintain the form that saw him become the first British man to win the British Open Wheelchair Tennis title at the ITF Super Series event in Nottingham last month. Before heading to US however, Hewett is in Tokyo looking to add to his Paralympic medal collection, having won silver in both singles and doubles at Rio 2016. Together with doubles partner and fellow Brit Gordon Reid, Hewett is also one half of what is now Great Britain’s most successful ever Grand Slam doubles partnership – after winning all three Grand Slam titles so far their year to take their total together to 12, the duo surpassed the long standing record of the Doherty brothers from the early 20th century – as well as given them the opportunity to target a ‘golden slam’.

• Singles
  • Quarter-finals: v. Nicolas Peifer (FRA, world no.7)
• Doubles - with Gordon Reid (GBR, world no.2) - seeded 1
  • Semi-finals: v. Tom Egberink (NED, world no.5) & Casey Ratzlaff (USA, world no.21)

Andy Lapthorne

Events: Quad Wheelchair Singles (world ranking 3), Quad Wheelchair Doubles (world ranking 2)
LTA Support: Elite Wheelchair

Londoner Lapthorne is one of the leading quad wheelchair tennis players in the world, with two Grand Slam singles titles, 11 Grand Slam doubles trophies and two silver and one bronze Paralympic medals to his name – with the potential for more in Tokyo before he heads to New York. Among all of that success, the US Open has been a stand out event for the West Ham United fan – both of the 30 year old’s singles titles came on the hard courts of New York, and he has won the last four US Open doubles titles. Lapthorne has been a passionate campaigner for equality for the quad division, and for the first time this year the US Open will include an expanded quad draw to match those for men and women, following the Australian Open having done likewise earlier this year.

• Singles
  • Quarter-finals: v. Heath Davidson (AUS, world no.7)
• Doubles - with David Wagner (USA, world no.1) - seeded 1
  • Semi-finals: v. Sam Schroder (NED, world no.6) & Niels Vink (NED, world no.5)

Gordon Reid

Events: Men’s Wheelchair Singles (world ranking 5), Men’s Wheelchair Doubles (world ranking 2)
LTA Support: Elite Wheelchair

There is not much Great Britain’s Reid has not achieved in tennis, but winning the US Open singles title is one of them.  Ahead of the US Open, Reid will be in Tokyo to defend the Olympic gold medal he won at Rio 2016, a year that also saw him win the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles and become world No.1. The 29 year old has shown good form this summer having won the title at the cinch Championships in the build up to Wimbledon. Alongside his singles gold in Brazil, Reid also won silver in the doubles alongside Hewett – it was French pair and long term rivals Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer who beat them to gold, but having since gone on to win 12 Grand Slam titles together, including all of the last six, the British duo will be hoping to complete an historic ‘golden slam’ if things go their way in both Tokyo and New York.

• Singles
  • Quarter-finals: v. Tom Egberink (NED, world no.8)
• Doubles - with Alfie Hewett (GBR, world no.1) - seeded 1
  • Semi-finals: v. Tom Egberink (NED, world no.5) & Casey Ratzlaff (USA, world no.21)

Jordanne Whiley

Events: Women’s Wheelchair Singles (world ranking 4), Women’s Wheelchair Doubles (world ranking 3)
LTA Support: Elite Wheelchair

Whiley is a multiple Grand Slam doubles champion alongside her best friend Yui Kamiji of Japan, with the pair achieving a calendar year Grand Slam in 2014. The duo are also the defending doubles champions in New York, and head there having won the Wimbledon doubles title in July – taking their total together to 12.  The US Open is also where Wiley won her singles Grand Slam, taking the title in 2015, and the 29 year old from Birmingham will have her sights on claiming a second one this year. Whiley has two Paralympic bronze medals from London and Rio, and will be going for gold as part of the British team in Tokyo. When Whiley competed at Wimbledon in 2017, she was pregnant with her son, Jackson, and having now returned from her break from the sport, she is once again back at the top end of the world rankings. Alongside training for her return to court and being a mum, Whiley also took to studying and is now fully qualified as a mortgage advisor.

• Singles
  • Quarter-finals: v. Momoko Ohtani (JPN, world no.5)
• Doubles - with Yui Kamiji (JPN, world no.4)
  • Semi-finals: v. Angelica Bernal (COL, world no.17) & Momoko Ohtani (JPN, world no.10)

JUNIORS

Kylie Bilchev 

Events: Junior Girls – Qualifying
World Ranking: 101
Age: 18
LTA Support: Loughborough University National Tennis Academy
County: Suffolk (Ipswich)

Bilchev finished runner up to Eva Shaw in a close fought 18U final at the LTA Junior National Championships this year, having not dropped a set en route to the final. That runner-up spot earned the British Junior No.2 a wild card for the junior draw at Wimbledon, where she defeated two top 50 players to reach Round 3. Ahead of starting at Georgia Tech this summer, Bilchev, has trained the National Tennis Academy in Loughborough, joining as part of the inaugural intake in 2019. She first started playing tennis at the age of six when coaches came to her school in Kesgrave looking for talent.

• Qualifying Round 1: lost 6-4, 6-2 v. Annabelle Xu (CAN, age 17, world no.67 - qualifying seeded 5)

Derrick Chen

Events: Junior Boys – Qualifying
World Ranking: 103
Age: 18
LTA Support: Men’s & Women’s Programme
County: Cambridgeshire (Cambridge)

Part of the British team that finished sixth at the Junior Davis Cup Finals in 2019, Chen reached a career high of 76 in the junior world rankings earlier this year and is now the British Boys number three. He claimed the boys doubles title at the LTA 18U Junior National Championships this summer, also reaching the quarter-finals in the singles. Was at one set all with the junior world no.1 in Round 2 of last month’s ITF J1 College Park event in Maryland before retiring from the match.

• Qualifying Round 1: lost 6-2, 6-2 v. Philip Florig (GER, age 17, wolrd no.50 - qualifying seeded 7)

Lui Maxted

Events: Junior Boys – main draw (singles & doubles)
World Ranking: 45
Age: 17
LTA Support: Men’s & Women’s Programme
County: Sussex (Worthing)

Maxted’s world ranking was sufficient to earn him direct entry to the main draw of the Boys’ singles in New York this year. He also featured in the main draw at junior Roland Garros, where he lost out to eventual semi-finalist Sean Cuenin of France in the first round, as well as at Wimbledon. Played in qualifying for the Viking International in Eastbourne this summer where he gave the ATP men’s World No.94 a close match. Now ranked British Junior No.2 and part of the LTA Men’s and Women’s Programme, Maxted was also part of the GB Junior Davis Cup side that finished sixth in 2019.

• Singles
  • Round 1: lost 6-2, 6-4 v. Aidan Kim (USA, age 16, world no.80)
• Doubles - with Mans Dahlberg (SWE, age 18, world no.39)
  • Round 1: won 4-6, 6-0, (10-8) v. Juncheng Shang (CHN, age 16, world no.1) & Matthew William Donald (CZE, age 16, world no.46)
  • Round 2: v. Samir Banerjee (USA, age 17, world no.2) & Ozan Colak (USA, age 17, world no.22)

Matilda Mutavdzic

Events: Junior Girls – main draw (singles & doubles)
World Ranking: 20
Age: 17
LTA Support: Pro-Scholarship Programme
County: Oxfordshire (currently lives in Belgium)

Mutavdzic was named as the LTA Junior Player of the Year at the LTA Tennis Awards in recognition of her performances in 2020, having won an ITF $15,000 Pro title in Spain, reached the third round at junior Roland Garros and the quarter-finals at the Orange Bowl. The 17-year-old also finished runner-up in the Girls’ Doubles event at the Australian Open. She followed that up this year by reaching the second round in Paris and the third round at Wimbledon. She was only defeated at SW19 by the eventual runner-up, and will be looking to go deep in to the draw in New York.

• Singles
  • Round 1: bye
  • Round 2: won 6-3. 6-1 v. Lucija Ciric Bagaric (CRO, age 17, world 57)
  • Round 3: v. Solana Sierra (ARG, age 17, world no.29)
• Doubles - with Julia Garcia (MEX, age 18, world no.29) 
  • Round 1: won 6-2, 6-4 v. Laura Hietaranta (FIN, age 17, world no.32) & Sofia Costoulas (BEL, age 16, world no.26)
  • Round 2: v. Ashlyn Krueger (USA. age 17, world no.22) & Robin Montgomery (USA, age 17, world no.8)

Jack Pinnington-Jones

Events: Junior Boys – main draw (singles & doubles)
World Ranking: 8
Age: 18
LTA Support: Pro-Scholarship Programme
County: Surrey 

Pinnington-Jones is Britain’s top ranked junior and has shown some great form this year. A winner in the Dominican Republic on the ITF world junior tour, he then defeated world no.10 to claim the ITF Junior International at Roehampton in July, before going on to reach the quarter-finals of the Junior Boys event at Wimbledon, losing to the eventual runner-up. Part of Great Britain’s Junior Davis Cup side that finished sixth in 2019, Pinnington-Jones gained a place on the LTA’s Pro-Scholarship Programme for 2021.

• Singles
  • Round 1: bye
  • Round 2: lost 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 2-0 (retired) v. Colton Smith (USA, age 18, world no.163)
• Doubles - with Jerome Kym (SUI, age 18, world no.12) - seeded 1 
  • Round 1: bye
  • Round 2: v. Max Westphal (FRA, age 18, world no.43) & Coleman Wong (HKG, age 17, world no.44)