Watson aims to be Thai breaker

Saturday 12th September 2009, 2:30PM BST.

ONCE again, Ian Watson is an incredibly proud, but nervous dad.0749977

The Guernsey Press spoke to him ahead of daughter Heather’s match against number two seed Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in the quarter-finals of the US Junior Open Championships overnight.

‘I’m very, very proud but I’m very nervous,’ he said.

‘She’s done so well. To get to the quarter-final of a Grand Slam is just wonderful and in a Grand Slam every match is tough.

‘Every girl is out there with a coach, prepared to win. There are no easy matches and it doesn’t matter about their rankings.

‘They are there to win.’

Watson joined fellow Briton Laura Robson, who won Junior Wimbledon in 2008, in the last eight in New York.

Watson senior believes that this could be the first time that two British junior players have reached this stage together in the Grand Slam.

And with Andy Murray surprisingly crashing out in the fourth round of the men’s singles at the hands of Marin Cilic on Tuesday, the British media have turned their attention to Robson and Watson.

Watson senior said Heather is dealing with the pressure well.

‘I spoke to her last night and she’s in very good spirits,’ he said.

‘We didn’t talk too much about tennis. We talked about other things. There’s too much pressure without talking about it with her parents. She’s been doing other things when she’s off the court.’

Watson senior also said that her daughter has been having a whale of a time at Flushing Meadows.

‘She does like the US Open,’ he said.

‘She loves the razzmatazz, the noise and the buzz. It’s just Heather.

‘It suits her personality.’

This is the second time that Watson junior has played at the junior US Open.


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  1. 1
    Serah Sipani

    Go Heather. We love you and watching you all the way from Oceania…Australia and Papua New Guinea.Its your’s girl, bring it home. Love you …Your No.1 Fans, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

    Serah Sipani, Melbourne, Australia

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  2. 2
    Peter Roffey

    Heather has just this moment become the US Open Girls Singles Champion – a remarkable landmark in her tennis career. Well done.

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  3. 3
    Audrey Clark

    Well Done Heather. Our Champion. Lots of Love from Grandma Jean and her friend.

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  4. 4
    Ray

    Is she returning to Guernsey soon?

    If so we should sort out an Andy Priaulx type welcome at the airport

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