Derby duo Sam Ferguson and Jay Clarke have been named among the top 10 young players in Europe.
The promising juniors moved up the Tennis Europe under-14 ranking list after their strong performances at the regional association's Winter Cup by Head finals, held in Italy.
Together with Long Eaton's Marcus Walters, the 13-year-olds represented Great Britain and beat three nations to win the tournament – worth 100 points towards a player's individual ranking.
Last night, Ferguson, of Spondon, and Clarke, of Normanton, were named joint winners of the boys' junior player of the year title at the Derbyshire Tennis awards.
Organisers of the annual prize-giving ceremony, held at Pride Park Stadium, said it would have been too tough to choose between the pair. Winners are chosen based on their performance and their commitment to tennis in Derbyshire.
The pair won the title ahead of nominees Bradley Buckland, Jacob East, Harry Finney, Ben Rushby and Reuben Shahidullah.
Other winners at the third annual awards included Tom Rushby, who took the men's player of the year, and Gemma Praditngam, who received the ladies' title.
The ceremony was watched by more than 400 players and representatives from tennis clubs across the county.
Organiser Rob Salmon said: "It was wonderful to bring everyone together and reward our players, volunteers, clubs and coaches with these awards.
"Every year, the awards are always a special occasion and this time around was no exception, with some wonderful stories of success shared with the rest of the county."
Courtesy of Derby Telegraph