Hannah Klugman wants British fans to crank up the volume after waltzing into the girls’ singles second round at Wimbledon.
The local star, 15, safely navigated her way past Italian Vittoria Paganetti 7-6 (4) 6-2 on Court 4 on Saturday.
Klugman’s match was one of the last to conclude on a rain-affected day in SW19 as hundreds of fans flocked to watch the junior action.
That included many members of Klugman’s friends and family and the Wimbledon-based teenager, who narrowly missed out on a place in the senior draw in qualifying, hopes they can continue bringing the noise heading into next week.
She said: “It’s amazing to be back – it’s obviously my favourite tournament of the year.
“To get through that first round is always good, no matter what the level is.
“Getting over the line is what mattered – I did it with an amazing crowd out there.
“I was one of the last matches on, so it was pretty special to have people coming to watch and support a junior match.
“I definitely thrive with crowds – I do love pressure situations and the big courts – having family around me, people getting rowdy, I love it.
“It’s amazing and as a Brit at Wimbledon – you have that extra push to do it for them.”
Klugman was awarded a wildcard into Wimbledon qualifying earlier this summer and after beating both Petra Marčinko and Linda Fruhvirtová in the opening two rounds, just missed out on a place in the main draw at the final hurdle.
She fell to a 6-3 6-3 defeat against American Alycia Parks so turned her attention to the junior event, where she reached the third round last year.
She got her campaign off to a perfect start against Paganetti – who beat her recently – and will now face Norwegian Emily Sartz-Lunde or Pole Monika Stankiewicz in the next round.
Klugman added: “It’s been an amazing few weeks – it doesn’t matter what happens this tournament and I’m proud of myself.
“I’m still learning and getting things wrong – I’m still young, losing matches but learning a lot.
“I’ve been in my own little bubble – a normal routine and nothing is changing.
“My family are keeping me grounded and it all feels really normal.”
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