RISING star Emily Smith continued her outstanding form by dominating Warwickshire County Closed finals day.
The 14-year-old made a career breakthrough last month when she reached the final of the AEGON national championships.
That continued the progress she has made through the summer which has seen her reach the semi-final of the Grade Two event in Sutton, and the final of similar ranked tournaments Nottingham, Scotland and Bournemouth.
But the Sutton Coldfield player swept all before her last week as she won the county titles at both the Under-16 and Under-18 events.
That outstanding development has convinced Adam Wharf, head coach at Edgbaston Priory High Performance Centre, the youngster is ready to make her mark on the international scene.
“We are delighted for her,” Wharf said. “She had done very well on the tier below but she managed to pull it out on the big stage of the nationals. It was always just a matter of when she was going to come through. It might have taken another six months but that ability has always been there.
“Her next challenge is to get an ITF ranking up and is about preparing her for the start of the women’s game, which happens very early now.
“She has got a very big game and is a very good athlete, her parents were both basketball players. If everything is firing she can take out a lot of different people.”
Smith will now start a training block before she turns her attention towards ITF tournaments at the end of the year. She was not the only Sutton Coldfield player to enjoy a successful campaign at the Closed County cup week.
Clubmate Nick Mercer won an impressive three events including the Under-18 boys, men’s singles and Under-18 boys doubles, which he won with Under-14 champion Max Stewart.
Edgbaston Priory’s crop of very young players also did well with Mia Faulkner, Lillian Mould and Tamara Burdiashvili taking the Under-8, Under-9 and Under-10 titles.
Charley Gregory, from the University of Warwick club, won two events and there were also victories for Harry Lazell, Oliver Nolan, Elizabeth Massie, Paige Christian, Sam Jenkins and Under-14 doubles team Luke Hammond and Oliver Kitching.
“It was a really successful week,” said Rory McCutcheon, Tennis Development Officer Warwickshire & Central Midlands.
