Cornish in bid for cream (From Echo)

Cornish in bid for cream

9:23am Tuesday 30th June 2009 in

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FORGET Andy Murray — south-east Essex fans have their new star to cheer at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

While the Scot has been battling towards a final date with Roger Federer in the men’s singles, Billericay’s Stephanie Cornish is chasing the girls’ singles crown at the All-England club.

Cornish, 17, was going all out to play the match of her life today as she strove to make it through to the third round of the prestigious event.

Cornish was roared to victory on Saturday by a patriotic crowd gathered around Court 19 to see some superb play in hot and sticky conditions.

They spurred the teenager to an impressive 6-3, 6-3, win over the talented Alexandra Krunic of Serbia.

Next up is the number 11 seed Silvia Njiric, from Croatia, one of the best young female players in the world.

And Cornish knows only a performance of the highest calibre will be enough to seal another win.

“There are so many good players here that you just have to play well or you’re going to lose,” said Cornish.

“You cannot afford to make too many mistakes. You want to play your best tennis because it’s Wimbledon and everyone wants to play at Wimbledon.

“I was pleased with the way I played (against Krunic) but of course the pressure is on to do it again because the games are only going to get tougher from here.

“I’m hitting the ball well at the moment and competing against players who are often older than me which helps with your confidence, so I’m confident I can do okay.”

Cornish was one of only four British junior players from the ranks of both the boys and girls whose world ranking (which currently stands at 47) was good enough to earn her an automatic place in the first round singles draw at Wimbledon.

One of the other three, Laura Robson, won the girls event in 2008 and last week also competed in the main women’s singles draw, something Cornish dreams of emulating in the not too distant future.

“Laura had an amazing run last year and did really well,” said the right-hander. “It does inspire you when you see something like that happen to someone you know, but I’ve still got a long way to go in my career and so much at the moment is about gaining experience.

“If I keep on putting in the hard work I’m confident I can keep improving.”