Hannah Klugman Advances in Wimbledon Qualifying Quest

Hannah Klugman, a 15-year-old British schoolgirl, is on the brink of entering the Wimbledon main draw after securing her second qualifying victory. Klugman, who grew up near the iconic venue, defeated 28th seed Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2 0-6 6-4 in an emotional match.

“I’m speechless,” said Klugman. “Getting this win feels really amazing.”

Fellow Britons Amarni Banks and Sonay Kartal also advanced to the final qualifying round. Klugman’s decisive match will stream live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app on Thursday, not before 12:30 BST. Last year, Hannah Klugman competed in the junior event at Wimbledon and claimed the prestigious Orange Bowl title in Florida at age 14.

She currently ranks 623rd globally and rallied from a set down against the Czech opponent, who ranks 376 places above her. Coco Gauff became the youngest modern-day Wimbledon qualifier at 15 years and 122 days in 2019. Klugman will be eight days older when she faces American world number 121 Alycia Parks in her next match.

Wimbledon starts on Monday, with the draw set for Friday. Banks, 21, progressed by defeating American 26th seed Kayla Day 7-6 (8-6) 6-3, while Kartal, 22, overcame China’s Wei Sijia 6-4 4-6 6-1 to set up a match against Russia’s Erika Andreeva.

Meanwhile, Britain’s remaining male contenders in qualifying, Jay Clarke and George Loffhagen, exited in the second round.