Alongside the joys of being touted as the next big thing in British women’s tennis, there are pressures. This week, Katie Swan – just 16 and the fifth-ranked girl in the world – experienced both. A happy journey to the quarter-finals that saw an expectant crowd screaming her support on No3 Court. And then, the anguish of crashing out in straight sets without giving the desired account of herself.
The right-hander, who finished runner-up in the junior Australian Open in January and won a Wimbledon women’s qualifier last month, stepped into her big match against the Slovakian, Viktoria Kuzmova, ranked 493, with a reputation as a player with a big serve and heavy forehand.