Wimbledon: Henry Searle has become the first British kid to win the Wimbledon boys’ singles title since 1962.
The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton defeated fifth seed Yaroslav Demin 6-4 6-4 on Court No. 1 to follow in the footsteps of Stanley Matthews, son of the legendary footballer who won 61 years ago.
Sealed with a kiss 😘🏆#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/M1a4UdZbXh
— LTA (@the_LTA) July 16, 2023
He is Britain’s first junior winner since Laura Robson won the girls’ event in 2008, and his victory ensures more British success at this year’s competition after Neal Skupski won the men’s doubles on Saturday.
Searle, who won in 83 minutes with nine aces and 22 wins, was the only player in the event to not drop a set.
On the potential of what was to come, he stated on the court, “I’ll definitely try to prepare myself for it, I’ll keep working hard and see what happens.”
“It’s amazing to play on Court One with such a special crowd and still get the job done,” he continued.
“It’s a pretty special feeling that won’t come around very often, so I’m going to try to enjoy it.” It was incredible to perform in front of this crowd today.”
He had an army of admirers on Court One cheering him on, all dressed in similar t-shirts, and Searle was not intimidated by his surroundings or the thought of what he could do.
An even start to the first set was interrupted by a brief rain delay, during which a significant period of play occurred.
For the first time in the match, Searle’s serve was tested, as he held off three break opportunities admirably.
He had the momentum, and then broke Demin, a Russian with a tremendous forehand, to lead 5-4.
With the match tied at 30-30, Searle unleashed a 132mph bullet serve for an ace and then took the set with a thunderous forehand winner.
Everything was going Searle’s way, and a break in the first game of the second set gave him even more power.
He then displayed confidence and poise to keep Demin at bay, sealing the win when the Russian shot long on his first championship point.
1950 – J.A.T Horn
1952 – R.K. Wilson
1953 – W.A. Knight
1955 – M.P. Hann
1957 – J.I Tattersall
1962 – S.J. Matthews2023 – H. Searle 🥳
Henry Searle is the 7️⃣th player from Great Britain to win the Boys' Singles title at #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/TWgJyHGkzs
— LTA (@the_LTA) July 16, 2023
Mark Ceban defeated Svit Suljic 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in the boys’ under-14s, but Hollie Smart was defeated in the girls’ under-14s, falling 6-3 6-1 to Luna Vujovic.
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