Mimi Xu reflects on strong week at Lexus Birmingham Open
By James Reid
British teenager Mimi Xu reflected on a strong week of work despite defeat to Jessika Ponchet in the LTA's Lexus Birmingham Open quarter-finals.
The 17-year-old beat top seed Alycia Parks and Pole Katarzyna Kawa to set up a last eight tie with world No.140 Ponchet but it proved a match too far at Edgbaston Priory.
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Xu tried to battle back from a fast start from Ponchet but was unable to prevent the Frenchwoman from taking the first set and control of the contest despite a strong service game from the Swansea-born teenager.
Ponchet rounded off victory in an hour and 25 minutes, but Xu was still pleased with her run to kick off the grass-court swing and took the positives from the defeat.
She said: 'In all honesty I feel like I did all the right things, I had all the right intentions, it was just maybe on the execution.
'Overall, that is the best I have served this tournament, maybe this whole year, so I think I have got a lot to be proud of.
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'I have been giving it my all every single match, she was just too good today.'
Ponchet set up a semi-final contest with Linda Fruhvirtova, who got past Lucreazia Stefanini 6-4 6-3.
The men's singles will see Brandon Holt face Otto Virtanen for a place in the final. Holt beat veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-3, while Virtanen got past qualifier Coleman Wong 6-2 7-5.
Xu's loss ended British interest in both of the singles draws, with compatriots Heather Watson and Amarni Banks both exiting in the first round while Jodie Burrage was beaten 6-0 6-4 by Fruhvirtova in the second.
The men's draw saw early exits from Billy Harris, Johannus Monday, Jay Clarke and former world No.21 Dan Evans and home hopefuls in the men's doubles also tasted defeat on a busy Friday in Birmingham following a rain-impacted day of play on Thursday.
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Monday and partner David Stevenson's run ended at the semi-final stage after straight sets defeat to Diego Hidalgo and Patrik Trhac, going down 6-4 6-4.
The British pair enjoyed a strong week on the grass as the wildcards beat second seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Rafael Matos 5-7 6-3 10-5 in the second round.
They then followed that up with a 6-4 6-4 win over Nicolas Barrientos and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli in the quarter-finals to leave them one match away from the showpiece.
But it proved a bridge too far as they were beaten on Friday evening by doubles specialists Hidalgo and Trhac.
Alicia Barnett also tasted defeat in the women's doubles final alongside France's Elixane Lechemia.
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The pair beat Ponchet and Magali Kempen 6-7(2) 6-4 10-7 to set up a final with Cristina Bucsa and Destanee Aiava, after they beat Australian second seeds Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez 2-6 6-4 12-10.
But Bucsa and Aiava won 6-4 6-2 in just over an hour to take the title.
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