TENNIS: Swindon duo have got Talent (From Swindon Advertiser)

TENNIS: Swindon duo have got Talent

6:00am Saturday 6th October 2012 in Sport

TWO of Swindon’s tennis starlets were put through their paces recently at the LTA’s national Talent ID Finals at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

Ema Lazic, 13, and Niamh Townsend, 12, who are both part of the AEGON FutureStars scheme, were among 100 youngsters from across the country invited to the session.

The players showed off their skills in front of the LTA Talent ID team, who were aiming to spot players that could make an impact in the game.

Lazic, who trains at West Hants Tennis Club, said: “I’ve been coming to the Talent ID Finals for quite a few years now but it’s always really interesting to see how much I’ve improved since the last one.

“The tests we do allow us to compare our scores and monitor our progression.”

Highworth Warneford School Townsend, of the Next Generation club, said: “Matchplay is the best part of the day because I can put into practise everything that I have learnt in the skills drills and also measure myself against other players my age.”

LTA head of talent management, Andrew Lewandowski was impressed by what he saw on the day.

He said: “They have performed really well and shown lots of ability across a number of different tasks designed to test athletic ability, coordination, speed and agility, as well as natural talent and a love for the sport.

“It was fantastic to see so many enthusiastic and talented players give it their all.

“We now have the systems in place to give players like these the best possible chance of reaching their potential, so I look forward to seeing them progress.”