Britain’s Hannah Klugman is following in the footsteps of Coco Gauff after winning the prestigious Orange Bowl junior tournament at the age of just 14. The under-18 tournament has been a breeding ground for future Grand Slam champions, with Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin also among the past champions.
Klugman cemented her place as one of the sport’s most promising young prospects when she took home the Orange Bowl on Sunday. The junior world No 14 defeated America’s Tyra Grant 6-3 6-3 in the final of the historic under-18 event to become the first British champion.
She had already beaten top seed Laura Samsonova in the quarter-finals and fourth seed Iva Jovic in the semis. It comes a year after Klugman lost in the final of the U14 division. And Klugman is in great company, joining Gauff and Anna Kournikova as some of the only 14-year-olds to win the main junior girls’ event at the Orange Bowl.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I played 14s last year and made the final. I was really gutted I didn’t get the win, and obviously to get the win at under-18s, it’s incredible,” Klugman said of her achievement. Although she is still in school, the 14-year-old has once again shown that she could be Britain’s answer to Gauff by matching another one of the American’s achievements.
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Two months ago, during half-term, Klugman became the youngest player ever to qualify for a W100 event on the ITF World Tour. She went all the way to the quarter-final and was able to better Gauff’s old record.
The US Open champion previously became the youngest player to qualify for a $100,000 (£80,000) tournament in 2019. Gauff also made it to the quarter-final of the W100 Charleston.
Klugman has been making big strides this year, reaching her first junior Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open. She also made the final of the Wimbledon girls’ doubles event with compatriot Isabelle Lacy.
The 14-year-old will now hope to continue following Gauff, who was able to break through onto the main WTA Tour the year after her own Orange Bowl triumph. The American won the U18 event at the end of 2018 and, in 2019, she qualified for Wimbledon at the age of just 15, going on a run to the second week. She ended 2019 by lifting her first tour-level title in Linz.
