British teenager Hannah Klugman is just one win away from reaching the Wimbledon main draw after winning her first two matches in qualifying at Roehampton.
The 15-year-old is ranked only 623rd in the world but beat Linda Fruhvirtova, ranked 376 places above her, in three sets on Wednesday.
Klugman, who won the prestigious 18-and-under Orange Bowl tournament in Florida last December, faces world No 121 Alycia Parks on Thursday for a spot in the main draw.
Should Klugman qualify, she would be the second-youngest modern-day Wimbledon qualifier behind Coco Gauff in 2019. British players Amarni Banks and Sonay Kartal are also in the final round of women’s qualifying, though there are no British men left in the final round.
But what has Klugman’s journey been like to this point?
Klugman started playing tennis at the age of three at Westside Tennis Club, less than two miles from the All England Club.
Her first coach was Alison Taylor, wife of former Wimbledon semi-finalist Roger Taylor, before being coached by Ben Haran at Reeds Tennis School, where Tim Henman famously attended.
In 2022, at the age of 13, she reached the final of the Under-14 Orange Bowl before a stellar 2023 season in the junior ranks propelled her into the mainstream.
Four years younger than some of her opponents, she reached the third round of the girls singles at Wimbledon last year, beating seeded Italian player Federica Urgesi along the way, before reaching the final of the girls doubles with compatriot Isabelle Lacy.
“I was probably about three when I could actually hold a racquet,” Klugman said a few years ago, when granted a wild card in the girls singles at the age of 13.
“My sisters used to play when I was younger so they brought me into the game, my mum used to play as well – still plays – and I used to hit with them on the side of the court.
“It’s massively special. I’ve been here every year watching and for me to play here this year is insane. I literally live five minutes away.”
Klugman, at her next junior Grand Slam, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open girls singles, though was forced to retire from her quarter-final match.
A month later, in October 2023, she qualified for a $100,000 tournament on the ITF tour in Shrewsbury, becoming the youngest player at 14 years of age to do so, beating Gauff’s previous record.
She reached the quarter-finals of the indoor tournament, too, before losing to former top-50 player Oceane Dodin.
Klugman then recorded the biggest triumph of her career, with success at the under-18 Orange Bowl – the de facto world championships for junior tennis – in December at the age of just 14.
A month later, she reached the third round of the Australian Open junior tournament and in the months since, Klugman has been playing in a number of ITF events across Europe in preparation for her ascent to senior tennis.
“I’m speechless,” said Klugman after her win on Wednesday. “To get the win was really good, it was very emotional.
Ahead of Thursday’s final round, she said of her preparation: “Nothing different, every match is the same. Prepare the same way, go out tomorrow and have fun!”
Klugman is due on the second match on Court 1, not before 12:30pm (BST), and it will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
