Aegon Classic is the women’s tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. This year marked the 32nd edition of the event, which took place at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham.
The tournament is one of the top events in the British tennis calendar and traditionally attracts a strong international field – with appearances from some strong international players, as well as top British talent like Team Aegon players Laura Robson and Heather Watson. Past winners include now the world third seed –Maria Sharapova – 2004 Wimbledon women’s singles winner.
This year’s tournament left everyone with something to talk about. A sixteen-year-old player Donna Vekic defied the Birmingham weather to book her place in the semi-finals of the Aegon Classic after beating the third seed Sorana Cirstea.
The Croatian teenager, who is 17 in two weeks’ time managed to twice navigate the distraction of a break in play to win 6-2 6-1, while the delays only offered brief respite for Romania’s Cirstea, who could only take six points from 32.
Donna Vekic has coped with two breaks in play due to Birmingham downpours and has now went on to fight her way at her first senior grass court tournament. Whoever wins between Madison Keys and Magdalena Rybarikova will face this teen in the last four.
This young talent is poised to take over the tennis world by storm in the foreseeable future, seeing as she is the same age as then a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova when she won the Wimbledon women’s singles in 2004.
By Tim Katoga
