Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BRIT HEROES GOING TO RAISE THE ROOF
BY ALEX SPINK
RYAN PENISTON led the charge of the Brits at Wimbledon – then revealed why he cannot afford to stop winning.
The Southend-born star, in his first Grand Slam, powered past Henri Laaksonen in straight sets.
He was one of NINE Brits to make it through the first round – the biggest haul of home winners this century – with Harriet Dart still to play today against Rebeka Masarova of Spain.
Victory guaranteed 26-year-old Peniston his biggest career pay day – and took his earnings in his first month on the ATP
Tour to almost £200,000.
Peniston (below, as a youngster at Wimbledon) then let slip that he and fellow winning Brit,
Alastair Gray, are looking to buy a place together in the neighbouring area.
“It would be cool if we could find a place around here to stay,” he said.
With semi-detached properties in Wimbledon Village selling for an average of £2,092,038 in the past year, he was told he might need to actually WIN Wimbledon, with its £2million top prize.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “I think I might!”
Their cause will be helped by wild card Gray also defying his ranking – after Peniston’s 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of his Swiss opponent.
Inspired by his pal the 24-year-old romped to a straight sets win over Chunhsin Tseng 6-3 6-3 7-6 to pocket £78,000 for reaching the second round.
With Jack Draper (below) beating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-4 6-4 7-6 and Liam Broady beating Lukas Klein in five, it means Britain has six men through for the first time since 2001.
Add in Emma Raducanu, Heather Watson and Katie Boulter, who beat Clara Burel 7-5 6-3, it is Britain’s most successful start since 1997.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a golden age,” said Draper. “But there’s lot of good players coming through.
“All these guys are my friends as well. Not only do we practice together, we go out together, we have a good time.
“It’s important we work as a team to drive each other forward as all of us want to improve and keep learning and get to the top of the sport.”
The spirit amongst the Brits is such that they are all, men and women, in a group chat on Whatsapp.
Phones would have been pinging when Peniston set the tone for Day Two by obliterating Laaksonen on Court 12.
“Am I still pinching myself? To be honest, yeah,” said a player who only a month ago was scratching a living on the Challenger circuit, and now faces American Steve Johnson for a place in the last 32.
Peniston’s story is all the more captivating for the fact he overcame cancer as a child. “It’s been such a long journey, and difficult,” he said. “It’s such a terrible thing to go through, especially for my family, my close friends. It had a huge impact but it now gives me so much strength.”
Liam Broady battled through to round two 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-7 6-3 against Lukas Klein of Slovakia and plays Diego Schwartzman of Argentina tomorrow.