GABRIELLA Taylor’s Wimbledon debut turned into something of a baptism of fire last night as she was convincingly beaten 6-1 6-1 in the first round of the Junior Wimbledon girls’ singles event, writes Spencer Vignes.

The 15-year-old from Southampton, regarded as one of Britain’s brightest young tennis talents, had the misfortune of being paired against number four seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic on Court 4 at the All England Club.

Although the match was nowhere near as one sided as the scoreline suggests, Krejcikova’s experience ultimately told on the big points, Taylor taking several games to deuce and advantage only to fall short in the face of her 18-year old opponent’s superior power and composure.

“I felt a bit depressed after the match but it is my first Grand Slam and I was playing someone three years older than me – I have to remember that,” Taylor said afterwards.

“Krejcikova played very well, but I still managed to have a few chances to win games and was a bit unfortunate. I just didn’t have what it took to take those chances. Hopefully that’s something that will come with time the more experience I get.”

Incredibly, Taylor’s only previous visit to the All England Club was as a guest on a guided tour. And, rather than be downhearted, yesterday’s experience has made her even more determined to return in years to come. “When I came round on the tour Wimbledon wasn’t on, so I got to see it when it was really quiet,” she adds. “Even then it felt really special and a place of real tradition, so to actually get back and play here has been amazing. I felt very happy and excited just walking in. It motivates you to want to do better.”

Taylor’s Junior Wimbledon isn’t over just yet as she still has to play in the girls’ doubles competition with fellow Brit Freya Christie.

The pair has drawn the number two seeds, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and Petra Uberalova of Slovakia, in the first round.