Australian Open 2015: Britain's Katie Swan suffers junior Grand Slam final heartbreak to join Laura Robson as runners-up in Melbourne

A dramatic win against Hungarian Dalma Galfi in the semis may have affected the 15-year-old's performance

Rose Troup Buchanan
Saturday 31 January 2015 12:46 GMT
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Katie Swan gives it her all in the final
Katie Swan gives it her all in the final (PA)

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The UK’s Katie Swan has missed out on a junior Grand Slam title after she lost to Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova in the Australian Open girls’ final.

The Bristol teenager lost 6-1 6-4 as she struggled with a leg injury on Rod Laver Arena.

Swan, 15, was hoping to become the first Briton in just over 30 years to claim the title since Annabel Croft’s victory in 1984.

It was another disappointment for the British team, as Swan joins Laura Robson as a girls’ runner-up in Australia.

Robson, who sent Swan a message of support before the match, also made the 2009 and 2010 finals.

“It’s actually been crazy,” Swan told the BBC.

"Obviously my best tournament I've ever played. I'm really pleased with the way I've been playing this week. I hope that there are a lot more tournaments like this for me," she added.

She reached the final after a dramatic win over Hungary’s Dalma Galfi, but in the course of the mach was plagued by cramp and required lengthy treatment following the bout.

It appears she was unable to recover her lost form, making 30 unenforced errors in the hour and half match.

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