Everything you need to know about… Katie Swan

Katie Swan at Eastbourne 2017 copyright Tennis Talent

One of the fresh generation of British talent, Katie Swan was born in 1999 and has already achieved much: she was runner-up in the Australian Open Girls’ in 2015, following that up with a run to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon Girls’ the same year.

These performances clearly caught the eye of Judy Murray, with the then Fed Cup captain picking Katie to play in a 2016 tie and making her the youngest-ever Brit to take part in the tournament. What’s more, she won her match.

Since then it’s been a relatively quiet 12 months, although a number of match wins on the ITF Pro circuit, including one tournament win, suggest there is more to come.

However, it’s tough to make the step up from juniors to seniors and she is yet to qualify for a WTA tournament. For instance, she fell 6-1 7-6 to world no. 67 Varvara Lepchenko in the first round of the 2017 Eastbourne qualifiers.

Her biggest strength is arguably her first serve: when in form, she hits the corners with power and picks up cheap points. Likewise her forehand can be a potent weapon. Add good movement around the court, and on song she has a compelling game that’s well suited to both grass and hard courts.

Her challenge, especially when playing seasoned pros, is what happens when she isn’t playing at her peak. Her second serve can be punished, while unforced errors on her forehand tend to creep up.

Still, much the same could have been said of Johanna Konta three years ago – and look where she is now.

Twitter: @KatieSwan99

About Tim Danton

Tim is the editor of Tennis Talent and tech magazine PC Pro. While no Rafa, he plays tennis for his local club and is basically obsessed with the game.

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