Milton Keynes tennis ace Christopher Pearce bounced back from the disappointment of a singles semi-final defeat to win the doubles title at the AEGON British Junior National Championships. The 13-year-old lost out to eventual winner and top seed Kyle Edmund 4-6, 6-7 (4-7) in the boys 14&under singles on Thursday.
Pearce said: “I think he just played better on the day. I’m very disappointed but I gave it all I had to give." But Pearce, a member of the AEGON FutureStars development squad bounced back in style to partner Luke Bambridge to doubles success later in the same day.
The AEGON British Junior National Championships is the highest domestic accolade available to Britain’s most promising young players and past champions included the current men’s and women’s British number ones, Andy Murray and Anne Keothavong.
More than 400 of the best boys and girls in the country are competing across qualifying and main draws for the National Championships, which has been running for 101 years, at both the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton and West Hants tennis club.
As mentioned former winners include Murray and Keothavong, as well as former British Number One Tim Henman, and the aim is that the AEGON British Junior National Championships will produce more British winners.
Since 2006 there has been a 300% increase in the number of young people who play six or more matches a year, but this is a figure British Tennis is driving to increase even further in order to create more winners.
This is the first year that the prestigious competition has been supported by AEGON, a leading life assurance company. In September 2008, AEGON was announced as the first Lead Partner of British Tennis. AEGON backs the game at all levels, from grassroots programmes through to international events.