From Bristol to Love Island, how Swan has risen up the rankings

British teenager enters today’s second round with a powerful serve and strong sense of fun

Katie Swan had just stepped off the plane in Dakar, Senegal, after a long flight. Tired and keen to get to her hotel where she could rest ahead of the tournament she was playing, Swan was told that her bags containing all her equipment had been lost in transit.

Swan’s reaction was telling. There were no histrionics – she just laughed at the ridiculousness of it all and tried to make the best of the situation. No rackets, no tennis clothes, no problem. Her bags eventually arrived 48 hours later and she reached the quarter-finals.

According to fellow Brit and occasional doubles partner Harriet Dart, Swan’s reaction was entirely typical of her. She is someone whose positivity and sense of fun are never far from the surface.

On the court, however, Swan becomes somebody altogether different – steely-eyed and almost military in her purpose and focus. These qualities were in evidence on Monday, when Swan pulled off a resounding win against the world No36 Irina-camelia Begu, which earned her a second-round match against the Romanian No29 seed Mihaela Buzarnescu today.

Not that Swan, 19, is getting carried away by the biggest win of her fledgeling career. She celebrated beating Begu by having a night in with her family watching Love Island. “I wouldn’t miss it,” she laughed.

The reality show is a guilty pleasure of Swan’s and was also the main topic of conversation the last time she saw her friend and mentor, Andy Murray. Chats like these have become a regular pastime since she joined Murray’s marketing agency 77 – so-called because of the 77-year gap between British male Wimbledon champions – in January.

“He was always my idol growing up,” says Swan. “To now be so close with him, it’s really cool.”

Swan’s journey to Wimbledon and rubbing shoulders with grand-slam champions has been circuitous, beginning in Portugal and taking in her native Bristol and Kansas along the way.

It was on a family holiday to Portugal aged seven when Swan’s talents were first spotted, by an instructor at the local tennis club. The instructor, a former pro himself, said to Swan’s parents Nicki and Richard: “She’s going to be a professional tennis player.”

Mr and Mrs Swan were sceptical, but after returning to Bristol they enrolled Katie in tennis lessons at