Katie Swan is through to her first junior Grand Slam singles final after winning a dramatic match with Dalma Galfi at the Australian Open.
Swan lost the first set 6-0 and saved three match points against the No.5 seed before overcoming the Hungarian 0-6 7-6, (5), 7-5 in two hours and 36 minutes.
In the final, played on the Rod Laver Arena, Swan will face Tereza Mihalikova from Slovakia who knocked out the No.2 seed Jil Belen Teichmann earlier in the tournament.
Katie Swan by Getty Images
After losing the opener without winning a game Swan was also 3-1 down in the second set but clawed her way back to take it in a tie-break.
A rollercoaster third saw the British junior No.1 take a 3-0 lead before suffering with cramp and finding herself 5-4 down facing match points.
However, after knocking out No.1 seed Shilin Xu in the third round, Swan recovered and won the next three games to follow in the footsteps of Laura Robson who reached the final in 2009 and 2010.
| Player |
Factfile |
| Katie Swan |
- Age: 15
- Born: Bristol, UK
- Lives: Kansas, USA
- Age started playing: 7
- Right handed
- Current combined ranking: 32
|
After the match, @Katieswan99 said on Twitter: “It's never over until it's over. Australian Open Junior Girls Final!!!! @BritishTennis”
Former British No.1 @annekeothavong added: “Congrats to British player @Katieswan99 for making it through to the @AustralianOpen junior girls final! Go for it!”
Major titles for wheelchair stars:
Jordanne Whiley claimed her second Australian Open women’s doubles wheelchair tennis title and her fifth successive Grand Slam crown after defeating No.2 seeds Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in an epic match.
Andy Lapthorne clinched his fourth Australian Open quad doubles title when, alongside American partner David Wagner, they overcame Dylan Alcott and Lucas Sithole 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.
Gordon Reid finished runner-up in the men’s doubles partnering Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez. The duo faced a tough task against defending champions Stephane Houdet and Shingo Kunieda, going down 6-2, 6-1.
Brits in action on Saturday:
Katie Swan v Tereza Mihalikova
(View full draw)
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