Hannah Klugman ends 49-year wait for British junior French Open finalist
The 16-year-old from Kingston-upon-Thames battled through to her maiden grand slam final after a gritty 1-6 6-3 6-3 win over Bulgarian Rositsa Dencheva.
Klugman is the first Briton to achieve the feat since Michelle Tyler claimed the title in 1976, the same year Sue Barker won the women's event.
"I'm just a bit shocked to be honest," she said. "I wasn't playing my best and I found it tough to get myself into the match.
"I felt like as soon as I did that I was in a good space and I thought I could do well if I got into the match.
"I think I've been mentally very good this week. I think I'm staying calm in big moments and also just trying to take it in.
"These moments don't happen a lot, so trying to enjoy it is a big part. My coach and physio are basically saying 'go out there and enjoy it', because you never know if you'll be in the spot again."
Klugman will face 17-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger in Saturday's final.
Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski are through to the final of the men's doubles.
The British pair beat Americans Christian Harrison and Evan King 10-7 in a deciding-set tie-break.
Neither Skupski or Salisbury, who linked up at the start of the season, had previously progressed beyond the men's quarter-finals.
They will meet Marcel Granollers of Spain and Argentina's Horacio Zeballos in the final.
PA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
Huddersfield sign Wakefield's Russell on loan
Huddersfield Giants have signed Oliver Russell on a loan deal for the rest of the Wakefield Trinity half-back will be available to the Giants for the final five games in Super League, although his parent club have a recall option after the first two have lost regular half-backs Tui Lolohea and Adam Clune to injuries for the remainder of the campaign, and loan signing Matt Frawley was injured in Sunday's defeat against St 26, spent six years with the Gianst before his switch to Wakefield this season, and he most recently had a loan spell with troubled Salford Red Devils.
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
Qualifying for returning Isle of Man Classic TT gets under way
Qualifying for the 2025 Classic TT has begun as the event returns to the Isle of Man for the first time since around the 37.7 (61km) Mountain Course closed at 18:00 BST ahead of the opening session for all marks the return of the TT brand to the August festival after it was scrapped by the government when racing returned following the coronavirus Classic TT, which sees a host of TT stars take to the course on vintage machines, follows three days of qualifying for the Manx Grand Prix. Wednesday's schedule 18:30 - Formula 1 Classic / Lightweight Classic19:20 - Lightweight Classic / Historic Senior / Historic Junior The Classic TT was first introduced in 2013 and ran until racing was put on a hiatus for two years due to border closures during the racing returned in 2022, the classic classes were run under the banner of the Manx Grand Prix in a truncated nine-day reintroduction of the TT branding has also seen event's format extended back to 13 Department for Enterprise previously said the TT brand was being brought back as part of a three-year move to boost visitor numbers to the around the course must reopen no later than 21: 2025 Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT events run until 29 August. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Moment Jack Draper is TOLD OFF by US Open mixed doubles partner Jessica Pegula for making a cheeky comment after British No 1's quarter-final win
Jack Draper left US Open mixed doubles partner Jessica Pegula with her head in her hands on Tuesday evening after a cheeky linguistic slip-up forced the American star to have to leap to correct the British No 1. Draper and Pegula were taking a press conference after booking their spot in the semi-finals of the new-look event, following victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, and Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva. The 23-year-old had been through a number of different partner combinations in the months since the entry lists were first announced, with Draper initially paired with Chinese gold medallist Zheng Qinwen. Following Zheng's withdrawal due to injury, Draper was then set up to play with Paula Badosa - who herself had ended her alliance with Stefanos Tsitsipas in the wake of their real-life romantic separation. When the Spaniard also stepped back from competing in New York due to persistent back issues, Draper was awkwardly matched with Pegula, who had been similarly jilted on-court by the withdrawal from the mixed doubles by her old partner and compatriot Tommy Paul. The pairing quickly proved itself and more, with Pegula and Draper - or 'Dragula' as some online named the duo - showing off their natural on-court chemistry and scything their way to the final four. Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper are the dynamic duo we didn't know we needed 😂 (@tntsports) — Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) August 20, 2025 But Pegula was left with her head in her hands after Draper accidentally misspoke in press But Pegula to put that chemistry to the test off-court too, thinking fast in front of reporters to stop Draper putting his foot in his mouth. 'It would mean a lot,' Draper had said when asked what it would mean to win the title and scoop the staggering $1million prize. But rather than stopping there, Draper continued: 'Obviously it is like a bit of an exhibition format. It's nice to play with someone, to get to know them...' Pegula quickly stepped in, adding: 'He shouldn't be saying that, but it's okay.' Confused, Draper questioned: 'What? What did I say? Have a bit of fun with it. I don't know. I like winning. It's good to win, right?' 'Yeah, but it's not an exhibition,' Pegula said. 'I know what you're saying.' Wanting to correct himself, Draper added: 'It's a bit of an exhibition, a bit of fun, why am I so locked in? It's a good opportunity to play, do well, get a lot of points in before next week. 'I'm enjoying being locked in. I don't know why it's a crime to be locked in.' Continuing to laugh, Pegula assured her partner that she wasn't criticising his approach, adding: 'No, it's fine. I'm just laughing at the "exhibition" part.' In another gaffe, Draper wondered aloud how the tournament would contribute to his ranking in mixed doubles, before being informed by Pegula that there were no mixed doubles rankings, nor would he be getting any points for his doubles ranking. The US Open have gone to great pains to assure sceptics that their new-look event is not merely an exhibition tournament, but the Grand Slam contest it was before this year's changes. But there are those who have questioned the lack of established mixed doubles partners in favour of high-profile singles pairings, and the changed format of 'fast four' - shortened sets to four without deuce points. Fellow semi-finalists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who are the defending champions, have been among those to criticise the alterations, positing their progress through the draw as on the behalf of the 'doubles players who cannot play'. But for fans of top singles players, the action has been exciting to watch, as well as rewarding for stars making new connections on the tour like Pegula and Draper. Draper admitted that they had spoken 'four' words to one another 'tops' before being paired up this weekend, but said that he now believed they are 'pretty similar' in their approaches to the sport. Draper, sporting his new sponsor Vuori and ASICS shoes, will be back on court with Pegula on Wednesday evening, facing off with world No 2 Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud for a spot in the finals - which will be played later that evening.
