The future’s bright for Welsh tennis

In a historic moment for Welsh tennis, three Welsh athletes competed in various events over the two-week duration of Wimbledon 2024.

Mimi Xu (16) and Viktor Frydrych (18) showcased their talents in Junior Wimbledon, while Niall Pickerd-Barua (13) made his debut in the 14-and-under invitational event.

Impressive performances

Mimi Xu from Swansea reached the finals of the girls’ doubles alongside fellow Brit Mika Stojsavljevic (15).

The pair impressively knocked out the number 1 seeds in the quarter-finals and won all but one match in straight sets. This was the first time Xu and Stojsavljevic teamed up for a Grand Slam event. 

The duo narrowly missed the title, losing in the final to the Australian Open Girls’ Doubles Champions Tyra Caterina Grant and Iva Jovic, with scores of 5-7, 6-4, [8-10]. An emotional Xu thanked the Wimbledon crowds and her team for their support throughout the event.

Xu also competed in the girls’ singles event, advancing to the second round before being defeated by Hungary’s Rositsa Dencheva.

Viktor Frydrych from Bangor played his final Junior Wimbledon, reaching the quarter-finals in the boys’ doubles with his Norwegian teammate Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (17). 

In the singles event, Frydrych started strong, winning the first set 6-1 in the first round. However, multiple rain delays disrupted the match, and his opponent came back to win the next two sets 2-6, 2-6.

Frydrych now looks forward to concluding his junior career and transitioning to a full-time professional career.

Niall Pickerd-Barua, the current U14 British champion, made his Wimbledon debut in the 14-and-under event. Pickerd-Barua played four matches, competing against players from Brazil, Japan, and America in a round-robin format. In the playoff stage, Pickerd-Barua was eliminated in a close match by Johann Nagel-Heyer (13), with scores of 6-2, 5-7, [8-10].

Following Wimbledon, the Junior World Rankings place Xu in 9th position, just two places behind British Junior number 1, Hannah Klugman (15). Frydrych now sits at 40th in the boys’ rankings, Still being comfortably in the top 50. 

Both Xu and Frydrych are set to compete in the Junior US Open next month.