Laura Robson impressive but defeated on Wimbledon debut

TENNIS schoolgirl Laura Robson was given a lesson in finishing by Daniela Hantuchova at Wimbledon - but still underlined her future promise.

SO NEAR: British teenager Laura Robson won the first set but still lost her first Wimbledon senior match in just under two hours

The 15-year old - the youngest organisers' wildcard since ex-champion Martina Hingis in 1995 - won the first set against the former world number five before going down 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 53 minutes.

However, there are more positives than negatives from the defeat, with firm foundations laid for many more Wimbledons to come.

"I'm a bit upset but I'm also proud of myself because I thought I played really well," said Robson.

"Just a couple of things let me down.

"I hit a couple more double faults than I would have liked, especially on the big points, but I'm still really pleased with the way I played.

"I wasn't really nervous before the match but when I was a break up in the second set I got really nervous and just started making mistakes."

Robson showed maturity beyond her years 12 months ago, when she became the first British winner of the girl's singles title since 1984.

Since then she has been shielded from the glare of publicity and the weight of expectation by a protective Lawn Tennis Association.

She reached the final of the Australian Open junior event earlier this year before spending time at Gil Reyes's legendary Las Vegas training boot camp, where former Wimbledon champion Andre Agassi transformed himself into one of the fittest men in tennis.

But Hantuchova was no slouch opponent and is the highest ranked unseeded player in the women's draw.

Although her ranking has slipped and she might be more famous for her 44-inch legs, the Czech Republic player was appearing at her ninth Wimbledon and is a former quarter-finalist.

But if Robson was nervous, as she opened proceedings on Wimbledon's new court two, it didn't show.

Watched by Virginia Wade, the last British women's singles winner in 1977, she aced her rival with her first serve, underlining why it's considered the biggest weapon in her game.

The left-hander then produced a succession of flawless winners as she raced to the first set in 38 minutes.

Hantuchova seemed stunned, her reputation for being emotionally brittle seemingly cruelly exposed.

Perhaps she was affected by the sight of former coach Nigel Sears, who played such a pivotal role in her development, in the corner of her youthful British opponent.

Sears is now the LTA's head of women's tennis and Robson is his most prized possession.

However, Robson's inexperience - she is ranked just 482nd in the world - makes her equally vulnerable.

And when she was required to serve to save the second set, the teenager produced consecutive double faults as the occasion finally seemed to get the better of her.

Robson then produced another double fault to lose her serve in the sixth game of the decider and the experienced Hantuchova took advantage to secure her second round progress.

"She's certainly got talent and she's also a really nice girl," said Hantuchova, who now faces China's Jie Zheng, the 16th seed and a beaten semi-finalist 12 months ago.

"She has potential but there is a long way to go. She has to keep working hard and surround herself with the right people.

"Her serve is very good and she's smart how she uses it."

Robson will now focus her attentions on defending her junior title - something that hasn't been achieved since Andrea Strnadova 19 years ago.

"The juniors will be a whole different story but I'm going to think about it until next week," added Robson.

"I know about all the girls I'm playing but there is also the pressure of defending my title."

 * Leading life assurance and pensions company AEGON is lead partner of British Tennis and is backing the sport at all levels, from grassroots to world class tennis events. For further information visit www.lta.org.uk