Congratulations to Lilli Wiedenmann and the Queenswood School team for winning Bronze at the ISF World School Tennis Championships in Receife, Brazil.
Lilli joined Queenswood School for Girls in September 2016 and especially enjoyed the opportunity to play tennis there to a very high level.
The girls qualified For the World School Tennis Finals along with 10 other teams from around the world, having won the Aberdare Cup (the national schools competition) for the 27th time in July 2016.
Each round of the World Finals was decided by a combination of doubles and singles matches, and every member of the team played a significant role in the team’s success. In the group stages, Queenswood beat China and Italy in two very closely-fought encounters and knocked out the Brazilian team with a 5-0 victory.
The quarter final was won against a very strong Belgian team 4-1 setting up a meeting with the Germany in the semi-final.
Unfortunately, by this stage in the gruelling competition the girls had picked up a number of injuries, and Germany proved too strong and experienced an opposition for Queenswood.
Queenswood faced Italy again in the bronze-medal play-off. Queenswood described the match as the most nail-biting of the entire competition; with the teams all square after four matches, the contest was decided by a tie-break in the final doubles match. Queenswood wins bronze!
Director of Tennis Catherine Sluter was ecstatic with the result: "We had realistically been hoping for a top-eight finish. This was a really young team, and they hugely exceeded expectations, losing just once in the entire tournament. Every member of the team coped incredibly well in nerve-wracking conditions, and there are really exciting prospects for the future of tennis at Queenswood."
The Head, Mrs Cameron remarked: "We are terrifically proud of the tennis team’s achievements. The level of support and excitement in school as the results came through was palpable, and the girls received a huge standing ovation on their return. I would like to congratulate them, and the staff who have coached and supported them, on a fantastic result."
As well as playing an intensive schedule of outstanding tennis, the girls also enjoyed a cultural day in Recife, met Yane Marques, the Brazilian Olympic flag-bearer, attended an all-singing, all-dancing Nations Evening, and generally enjoyed celebrity status in Brazil. They were interviewed for local and national press, radio and TV stations.
We hope Lilli enjoyed her time at Queenswood and at the tournament in Brazil. We wish her all the best for the future.