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Serving up a surprise
Posted on September 18 2011 at 1:43:51 1 comments
An Alvechurch schoolgirl is raising eyebrows in the tennis world after a surprise performance in the Lawn Tennis Association national finals.
Imogen Sinclair, who turned 11 over the finals weekend last month, qualified for the event at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, London, ahead of the LTA’s “high performance” protégés in the Midlands.
Then she came third, only losing in the semi-final to the number one seed and eventual winner of the tournament.
This was quite an achievement for a youngster who started her tennis at Barnt Green Tennis Club and is now being coached at Bromsgrove Tennis Club in Aston Fields. And it isn’t as if Imogen spends all her time playing tennis – she also excels in defence for Aston Villa U13 girls.
Imogen, who moved with her family to Alvechurch from Cofton Hackett when she was two, got into sport after spending so much time on the sidelines watching her brother Ollie playing football and rugby.
“She wanted to play and as soon as she was old enough, she did!” says her father, Andy.
“Imogen trains five nights a week – three at tennis and two at football – and has matches at weekends, so this forced her to drop rugby, where she was an uncompromising No 10 for Chaddesley Corbett RFC U11 Boys,” he adds.
Andy says Imogen’s qualification for the LTA finals in Roehampton was a wake-up call for the talent spotters who decide which players should be given high performance training.
She qualified for the AEGON Summer Regional Tour Finals by winning two events, at Malvern and Grantham. Coupled with four semi-finals, the Alvechurch Middle School pupil topped the Midland leaderboard.
In Roehampton she took her round robin section with two wins out of two, setting up a semi-final against the number one seed, Tanysha Dissanayake.
She lost this match in two sets, but went on to win the third place play-off.
“It was a very creditable - and surprising – third overall,” says her proud dad.
What Villagers have been saying about this story . . . most recent comments first
Comment posted by Ron Thompson
from Alvechurch on October 02 2011 at 6:25:30
Well done Imogen - a great example to all young girls (and boys)
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