British trio record impressive wins in Wimbledon qualifying rounds

British teenagers Arthur Fery, Felix Gill and Jack Pinnington Jones all secured notable victories in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying. play completely rained off on Monday, the competition got under way on Tuesday, and 19-year-olds Fery and Gill and 18-year-old Pinnington Jones overcome huge ranking gaps.

Fery defeated 29th seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India, ranked 891 places higher, 6-1 7-6 (5), while Gill was a 7-5 7-6 (6) winner against Serbian Danilo Petrovic, who stands 823 places above him.

Pinnington Jones, meanwhile, overcame a deficit of 983 places for a 6-4 6-3 victory over Brazil's Joao Menezes.

Anton Matusevich won the all-british clash with 16-yearold William Jansen, who earned his place in qualifying by winning the national under-18 title, 4-6 6-0 6-4 but there were defeats for Aidan Mchugh, Ryan Peniston and Stuart Parker.

Meanwhile, rhis year's Championships have been given special status as a UK Govwith ernment test event to allow spectators to attend, but many Covid-19 restrictions will still be in place.

Despite the delay to easing lockdown, the UK government has allowed Wimbledon to admit 21,000 spectators each day – half of its normal capacity – while Centre Court can seat full crowds of around 15,000 for the women's and men's finals.

Ticket holders will be required to wear face coverings while moving around the grounds, but not while seated on court. The food and drink spaces will also be open.