SHE may have played at Wimbledon for the first time last year but Louise Hunt says her breakthrough season on tour all hinged on her success at the Polish Open.

Hunt claimed a maiden victory over a top-10 ranked player when she beat Germany’s Katharina Kruger en route to her tournament success in Poland back in June and that kicked off a run of good form that catapulted her to a career-high ranking by the end of the year.

Hunt also finished as runner-up in her next tournament - the following week’s Czech Open - and then went on to compete in her maiden Grand Slam at the All England Club.

Before the end of the year, she also reached the final of the another tournament ,as well as semi-finals of three more, and all that ensured the Wanborough wheelchair tennis ace finished 2015 in the top 10 in the world, giving her the perfect start to a Paralympic year.

“For me, the biggest highlight of the year was winning the Polish Open - just because of the way I got there,” said 24-year-old Hunt.

“I beat two top-10 players on the way and that moved me from 19 to 15 in the world, so it was a really big jump.

“For a year up to that point, maybe even longer, I’d been taking sets off the top players but not quite winning those big points.

“After Poland, the week after, I went on to get to the next final, beating top players again, and throughout the year, I have had similar results.

“They are becoming quite consistent now, those sorts of wins, which is nice. I was getting so close before but something suddenly clicked and it’s going alright now.

“After that, I’d have to say getting to my first Grand Slam was a big highlight, and the fact it was Wimbledon was absolutely amazing.

“It was such an awesome experience and definitely gave me a taste of what’s to come."

Hunt was able to enjoy some much needed downtime over Christmas, although the break did not last long and she is already in Australia to continue her quest of qualifying for the Paralympic Games in Rio in September.

“I have got three events out there - one in Melbourne, one in Sydney and one in Queensland,” added Hunt. “It’s a qualifying year now and all the tournaments are a lot fuller and everyone is going everywhere, so you can’t afford to not be there.

“I am just trying to focus event to event but you can’t not get excited. It’s weird. I can’t believe there is another one just around the corner. It only feels like yesterday I was in London.”