BRIT KID SWAN IS FLYING
KATIE SWAN became the last Brit standing in the junior tournament as she reached the quarter-final of the girls’ singles with a straight-sets victory over ninth seed Sofia Kenin. The 16-year-old from Bristol may have an American twang to her accent, having moved to Wichita, Kansas two-and-a-half years ago, but she insisted: ‘I’m British, 100 per cent, even if I don’t sound it! ‘I guess this is my real home because it’s where I’m from and where I grew up. But America is also home because it’s where I live. ‘I miss my friends and family here, so it’s nice to come home and see them a lot, but my lifestyle in America is really nice and much more relaxed. It’s really helped my tennis a lot.’ Swan endured lengthy rain delays before completing a 7-6, 6-2 victory over the American. She was 4-2 down in the first set when play was halted for the first time. After a 35-minute delay she came back out on to a packed Court No 18 to break back, save a set point on her serve and then crush her opponent 7-1 in the tie-break. She was 3-0 up in the second set when rain stopped the match for another 40 minutes but she remained composed when she came back out to win 6-2. Swan’s move to train at Wichita State University appears to be paying off after she finished runner-up in the junior Australian Open earlier this year and won a Wimbledon women’s qualifier last month. ‘I love it there,’ she added. ‘My team is great. I’m really enjoying it and improving a lot. The people are really friendly. It’s a really good family environment and we’re all enjoying it.’