Brits in dominant form at The Boodles exhibition event at Stoke Park

Hannah Klugman defeated Zeynep Sonmez on a match tie break

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The Brits were in dominant form on the second day of The Boodles Exhibition event at Stoke Park on Wednesday, with up-and-coming stars Henry Searle and Hannah Klugman both claiming solid victories.

After Andrey Rublev had beaten former top 10 player David Goffin in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) on Stadium Court it was time for the crowd to back the Brits, with teenager Searle seeing off Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 7-5 in what he felt was a ‘stress free’ environment.

The 19-year-old won the boys’ championship at Wimbledon in 2023 and is in the process of rising through the professional ranks in the men’s game.

He’s looking forward to playing in the main draw at Wimbledon next week after making his debut at Stoke Park.

“It's nice to kind of play stress free, with no real worry about the outcome,” he said.

“And you can try new things that you maybe wouldn't do in a normal match. It's good to know what you're capable of, and what other things you can kind of go to if you're in need of them.”

Wimbledon awaits on Monday, with Searle hoping to pull off a few surprise wins in the opening week.

“It's nice. I mean, always walking past Court One it's a nice feeling and looking in, and we looked in the other day, and it was, it felt way bigger just looking from the stands than it did on the court. But it's really nice to know some of the staff members there, it's a nice feeling.”

Another talented teen Hannah Klugman then lived up to the hype in her first appearance at The Boodles on Wednesday, defeating Zeynep Sonmez on a match tie break (6-2 4-6 10-7)

The 16-year-old showcased some of the skills that recently took her to the final of Junior Roland Garros and has also seen her awarded a main draw wild card entry for Wimbledon next week.

“It's been amazing,” she said.

“The venue is so pretty, the court is amazing, and the atmosphere was, I think it was really lovely. I think it's a really lovely event. It's my first time playing an exhibition, so it is something different. It's different but it's also nice, you know, it's kind of like a match scenario, a bit different to playing like a practice set on the practice court so it kind of makes it feel like it is a match and you're getting ready.”

On receiving a wild card for SW19, she added: “I found out from Ian (Bates) right after my doubles match with Mika (in Eastbourne). I came off and I was about to drive home because I was expecting to play qualies in a couple of days, and that's what I thought. And no, he pulled me aside and said, you got a main draw, and I was so grateful.”

The Boodles is a tennis exhibition event which takes place in the glorious grounds of Stoke Park in the week before the Wimbledon championship, offering the world’s best players a chance to fine-tune their grass court game.

Now in its 21st year, this five-day exhibition blends exciting tennis matches in quintessentially British surroundings. It has become a true fixture of the social season due to its excellent hospitality and is widely regarded as an unofficial Wimbledon warm up event.

Wimbledon champions including Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray have played the event in the past and this summer the likes of Alex de Minaur, David Goffin, Andrey Rublev, Alexei Popyrin, Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Sebastian Baez entertained the crowds.

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