Latest news with #Klugman
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Brit sensation Hannah Klugman, 16, breaks down in tears as she's ‘broken physically and mentally' in French Open final
'BROKE ME' Brit sensation Hannah Klugman, 16, breaks down in tears as she's 'broken physically and mentally' in French Open final Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TEEN SENSATION Hannah Klugman started to sob after her French Open final thrashing and admitted: I was broken mentally and physically. One of the most exciting young talents in British tennis was trounced 6-2 6-0 in 77 minutes by Austrian Lilli Tagger in the finale to the girls' singles competition. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Brit sensation Hannah Klugman broke down in tears after losing the junior French Open final on Saturday Credit: AP 3 Klugman was trounced 6-2 6-0 in 77 minutes by Lilli Tagger Credit: AP 3 Tagger has a career singles rating of No.506 Credit: Getty Klugman, 16, struggled to cope with the windy conditions on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The Kingston-upon-Thames schoolgirl was trying to become the first Brit to win the Roland Garros junior championship since Michelle Tyler in 1976. Wiping away the tears, she said: 'I want to start off by saying congratulations to Lilli. Honestly, you deserve it so much. 'You broke me mentally and physically today. It's been a long week. I'm really proud of myself. 'I'm very tired. It's been a long week. I want to thank my team for all of the hard work – it means a lot. 'The crowd, you were amazing, I've never played in an atmosphere like this so thank you so much. 'Hopefully I'll be back some time in the seniors, so thank you so much.' Seventeen-year-old Tagger – who did not drop a trophy set in the event – secured the title with a 23-minute second set, winning 24 out of 35 points. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS For Klugman, there are major lessons to be learned on clay – she had little experience on the surface until spending two months practising on the surface earlier this year. That included a few days at Rafael Nadal's academy in Spain where she caught the eye of the 22-time major singles winner. Carlos Alcaraz stuns French Open fans with classy gesture as he wins rally but concedes point due to little-known rule Past winners of the title include future Grand Slam champions Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Justine Henin, Coco Gauff. Klugman had also contested two Grand Slam girls' doubles finals but lost in the 2023 Wimbledon and this year's Australian Open trophy matches.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Brit sensation Hannah Klugman, 16, breaks down in tears as she's ‘broken physically and mentally' in French Open final
TEEN SENSATION Hannah Klugman started to sob after her French Open final thrashing and admitted: I was broken mentally and physically. One of the most exciting young talents in British tennis was trounced 6-2 6-0 in 77 minutes by Austrian Lilli Tagger in the finale to the girls' singles competition. 3 Brit sensation Hannah Klugman broke down in tears after losing the junior French Open final on Saturday Credit: AP 3 Klugman was trounced 6-2 6-0 in 77 minutes by Lilli Tagger Credit: AP 3 Tagger has a career singles rating of No.506 Credit: Getty Klugman, 16, struggled to cope with the windy conditions on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The Kingston-upon-Thames schoolgirl was trying to become the first Brit to win the Wiping away the tears, she said: 'I want to start off by saying congratulations to Lilli. Honestly, you deserve it so much. 'You broke me mentally and physically today. It's been a long week. I'm really proud of myself. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS 'I'm very tired. It's been a long week. I want to thank my team for all of the hard work – it means a lot. 'The crowd, you were amazing, I've never played in an atmosphere like this so thank you so much. 'Hopefully I'll be back some time in the seniors, so thank you so much.' Seventeen-year-old Tagger – who did not drop a trophy set in the event – secured the title with a 23-minute second set, winning 24 out of 35 points. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS That included a few days at Rafael Nadal's academy in Spain where she caught the eye of the 22-time major singles winner. Carlos Alcaraz stuns French Open fans with classy gesture as he wins rally but concedes point due to little-known rule Past winners of the title include future Grand Slam champions Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Justine Henin, Klugman had also contested two Grand Slam girls' doubles finals but lost in the 2023 Wimbledon and this year's Australian Open trophy matches.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Briton Hannah Klugman's historic French Open run ends with defeat in juniors final
Klugman was the first British player in a junior French Open final in nearly 50 years (Getty Images) Hannah Klugman's brilliant run at the French Open came to an end with defeat in the girls' singles final, as Austria's Lilli Tagger secured the junior title. 16-year-old Klugman, a former girls' doubles runner-up in Wimbledon in 2023 and the Australian Open in January, was playing in her maiden grand slam singles final. Advertisement She was aiming to become the first British player since Michelle Tyler in 1976 to seal a junior title at Roland-Garros. But despite an excellent run on an unfamiliar surface, including fighting back from a set down in both her quarter- and semi-final, Klugman had no answer to Tagger and lost 6-2, 6-0 earlier on Saturday. An emotional Klugman, who shot to prominence as the winner of the prestigious Orange Bowl junior tournament aged 14, said, 'It's been a long week but I'm really proud of myself.' Klugman had chances to break in the opening and seventh games of the first set, but could not capitalise on her opportunities and dropped serve in the fourth game. Advertisement Her 17-year-old opponent imposed herself from the baseline and an early break in the second set proved crucial as Klugman's level dropped. She double faulted on break point down to concede another break for 4-0, with the Austrian - the junior world No. 47 compared to Klugman's ranking of 13th - running away with the set to seal the title. Wimbledon-born Klugman is one of Britain's most promising juniors, and excelled in Paris despite having had had little experience on clay until a two-month stint practicing on the surface earlier this year, including a spell at the Rafael Nadal Academy. She told BBC Sport that meeting the 14-time French Open champion had spurred her on. 'He's my idol - I love Rafa. He said some amazing things to me,' she said. 'I struggled a bit last year and he said 'as soon as you've got the level, everything will come. So just trust it and work hard every day'.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
British junior reaches French Open final for first time in 49 years – thanks to Jack Draper
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Klugman thanked Jack Draper for his support and reassurance after becoming the first British junior to reach a singles final at the French Open in 49 years. Klugman came back from an early deficit on Friday afternoon to defeat Bulgaria's Rositsa Dencheva in a high-quality semi-final. Afterwards, she spoke warmly about Draper's contribution to her success. Advertisement 'I struggled a little bit [last season] results-wise,' said Klugman after her 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. 'I was working so hard and I felt like I was getting better, but I wasn't seeing results. 'My coach knows Jack quite well, so he set up a lunch for me, and I think he opened my perspective that everyone goes through these troubles, these issues. You don't realise it, but they are. '[We talked about] taking a step back and taking your time and realising it's OK. His big thing is consistency, every day working hard with the right mentality and things will come, it's just a matter of time. As soon as you get that level, everything comes.' By progressing to the girls' final – where she will play Austria's Lilli Tagger on Saturday – Klugman's added another good-news story to what has already been an encouraging French Open for the British contingent. Advertisement Draper may have been disappointed by his fourth-round loss to Alexander Bublik, but overall we saw more players progressing in the main singles draw than at any time in the last half-century. Jack Draper reached the fourth round in men's singles at Roland Garros this year - Reuters/Lisi Niesner Klugman is part of a strong generation of British girls, which also includes Mika Stojsavljevic – winner of September's US Open title – and Mingge Xu. Klugman made her name before the others when she won the 2023 Orange Bowl under-18 competition in Miami at the age of 14, thus following in the footsteps of numerous major champions including Coco Gauff, Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin. Asked about her familiarity with clay – traditionally the most uncongenial surface for British players – Klugman replied: 'I wouldn't say I've played a lot, but I've probably played more than most British players. I started going to Barcelona with Jordi [Vilaro, her assistant coach], and I've improved massively by going there on the clay. I think it's really helped me. Advertisement 'I think it's just a mentality thing. It's different. Every point is a grind, you've got to be ready for it and I think accepting that is the key. Me and my coach [Ben Haran] said, 'Let's do two months on clay, get my tennis better, my mentality better'. It's the end of the clay-court season and I'm doing really well.' Klugman has a strong serve and a big, heavy topspin forehand that can be highly effective on these courts. Even though she is one of the youngest players in this competition, and could potentially play two more years of junior slam tennis, she said on Friday that she expects to turn professional next season. 'I came through very young,' said Klugman, who grew up not far from the All England Club in Wimbledon. 'I won Orange Bowl at 14, so I think this may be probably my last year [as a junior], hopefully. Advertisement 'Juniors has been a big thing for me. Playing well when you're not the underdog, it's different. It's hard. You have to learn that. 'I'm trying to block that out and not have expectations. So not think, 'Why am I losing when I'm better than her?' It's not like that – in tennis anything can happen. It's about playing your best game and trying mentally to be there for every point.' The last British junior of either sex to reach a final at Roland Garros was Michelle Tyler, who won the girls' title in 1976. Tyler went on to have a modest singles career, and to play doubles with Sue Barker – the 1976 champion here – before retiring in her early 20s. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
British teen Hannah Klugman stuns tennis at French Open with help from Jack Draper and Rafael Nadal
British teen Hannah Klugman stuns tennis at French Open with help from Jack Draper and Rafael Nadal Hannah Klugman has become the first British player to reach the French Open juniors final in almost 50 years. Hannah Klugman of Great Britain (Image: 2025 Tim Clayton ) Hannah Klugman has etched her name in British tennis history by reaching the French Open juniors final – the first UK player to do so in close to half a century. At 16, the Kingston-upon-Thames native carved out a hard-fought 1-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Bulgaria's Rositsa Dencheva to secure her spot in her first grand slam final. Klugman's achievement mirrors that of Michelle Tyler, the last British junior to lift the trophy back in 1976, coinciding with Sue Barker's success in the women's tournament. Reflecting on her win, Klugman shared with BBC: "I'm just a bit shocked to be honest," adding, "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." Looking ahead to Saturday's final against Austria's 17 year old Lilli Tagger, Klugman expressed appreciation for the guidance she's received along the way, notably from British tennis player Jack Draper and her idol, Rafael Nadal. Meeting Nadal at his academy proved inspirational, as she recounted: "It was amazing to go there and meet him. He's my idol - I love Rafa. He said some amazing things to me.", reports the Express. The wisdom imparted by the tennis legend undoubtedly played a role in her mindset for the tournament. Klugman quoted Nadal's advice: "I struggled a bit last year and he said 'as soon as you've got the level, everything will come. So just trust it and work hard every day'." Article continues below Hannah Klugman with Rafa Nadal (Image: Hannah Klugman/ Instagram ) She also voiced her gratitude towards Britain's No. 1 Draper for his advice and assistance, commenting: "I struggled a little bit [last season] results-wise. I was working so hard and I felt like I was getting better, but I wasn't seeing results. "My coach knows Jack quite well, so he set up a lunch for me, and I think he opened my perspective that everyone goes through these troubles, these issues. You don't realise it, but they are. "[We talked about] taking a step back and taking your time and realising it's OK. His big thing is consistency, every day working hard with the right mentality and things will come, it's just a matter of time. As soon as you get that level, everything comes." Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski have successfully booked their place in the men's doubles final. The dynamic British duo triumphed over Americans Christian Harrison and Evan King 10-7 in a nail-biting deciding-set tie-break. Prior to this achievement, neither Skupski nor Salisbury, who forged a partnership at the beginning of the year, had ever advanced past the men's quarter-finals. They are now slated to compete against Marcel Granollers from Spain and Argentine Horacio Zeballos for the championship title. Article continues below In the men's wheelchair singles, Alfie Hewett made a remarkable ascent to the final after securing a win over Argentinian fourth seed Gustavo Fernandez in an intense three-set match. Second-seeded Hewett, who has claimed victory three times previously, is poised for a showdown with Japanese top seed Tokito Oda in the grand finale. Hewett is also aiming for a spectacular seventh win in the doubles alongside compatriot Gordon Reid, facing off against Oda and the seasoned French player Stephane Houdet, aged 54.
