Isabelle Lacy was thrilled to see so many spectators at courtside despite falling to a straight-sets defeat against fellow Brit Lily Yuriko Miyazaki at the LTA’s Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
The 16-year-old caused a stir at the West London tournament after beating former world No.35 Madison Brengle in the Round of 32, but British No.7 Miyazaki was sensational on her way to a 6-3 6-0 victory on Court 1.
Defeat means Lacy misses out on an all-British semi-final against Katie Swan after she became the third British woman in tournament history to upset the top seed in her 3-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria.
But Lacy was still delighted to have been given the chance to shine in front of her friends, family and growing fanbase.
“It was really good to see loads of people,” she said.
“Loads of my family and friends came, so yeah, it was really good and the support was amazing.
“It has been a really good week and I have loved it.
“Moving forward, I will take the experience on and off the court, being around the top girls and seeing how they operate.
“They are super professional on and off the court and you can take a lot from how they conduct themselves.
“Lily played super well and she is so nice.
“We are from the same county so we got on really well, but yeah, she played so well.”
Lacy came out firing in the early stages of the match, but Miyazaki rode the wave and by the end of the first set, had taken control of the contest.
And the 16-year-old was full of praise for her more experienced opponent.
She said: “I think the first set was close, I think we were both serving really well.
“She was really good on the bigger points, i lost my first service game in the first set as well.
“At the beginning of the second, she was really on it and didn’t give me much of a chance.
“It has been an amazing experience playing at this level, and I have really loved it, it has been so great.
“I had a load of matches the week before at the UK Pro League so I was feeling really confident on grass.
“I have never reached the quarter-finals of a women’s event before, I have really loved this week.”
Lacy secured a wild card into qualifying for this summer’s Wimbledon Championships after winning the Under-18 Junior National Championships at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
And she is looking forward to another exciting grass-court tournament in West London.
She added: “I can’t wait.
“I think that will be amazing, it is only ten minutes away from where I live.
“I am really looking forward to it, it will be even more experience.”
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
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