TAUNTON tennis player Grace Piper enjoyed her biggest success to date last week, when she triumphed at the 18U Summer National Tournament, held at the Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City.

Thirty-two players from all over the UK were accepted into the main draw, and 15-year-old Piper came through the early rounds with victories over Rachel Cranley (Hertfordshire), Megan Carmichael (Cambridgeshire) and Annabel Davis (Hertfordshire).

That set up a semi-final clash with Elinor Beazley from South Wales.

Piper needed to play superbly to defeat her in-form opponent, and reach her first national level final, which she did.

The final saw Piper take on Camilla Gretschel from Middlesex, and both players coped extremely well with the pressure of the occasion to produce a high-quality match, enjoyed by a large crowd.

It was a tight encounter, which truly could have gone either way, but eventually it was Piper who came through to win 6-4 6-4, in just under two hours.

Piper, who lives in Bishops Hull and is a student at The Castle School in Taunton, divides her playing time between Taunton Tennis Club (where she is coached by Natalie Ayton), and Exeter Tennis Centre (coached by Guy Leverton).

This latest success will consolidate her position in the Top 10 of the national 16U rankings.

Piper, sponsored by Team HEAD, is now heading off for intensive clay court training at the La Manga Club in Spain.

And she will follow that with her preparation for the British Championships, which are to be held in Nottingham, from August 21 to 25.