Wales is proudly represented on the global tennis stage by its No.1 players Mimi Xu (17) and James Story (23), both climbing the world rankings to new career highs, here is what they have been up to.

Mimi Xu

Currently at a career-high WTA No. 427, Mimi has competed across Europe, Asia, and Oceania at both junior and senior levels this year as she comes to the end of her junior career.

She began her 2025 season in Thailand, playing a W75 event in Nonthaburi, where she reached the Round of 16, defeating higher-ranked opponents before withdrawing to manage a minor injury ahead of the Junior Australian Open.

At the Junior Australian Open, Mimi reached the third round, winning against Ava Beck and Diana-Ioana Simionescu before losing to Austria’s Lilli Tagger.

She stayed in Australia to compete in two W75 events in Brisbane, qualifying for both competitions’ main draws and beating players comfortably near her ranking. A highlight was her three-set comeback win against world No.239 Leonie Küng. By the end of the trip, she reached a then-career-high ranking of No.455.

In March, Mimi competed in two W50 events in Japan reaching the quarterfinals in Kyoto and scoring a career-best win over top seed Kyoka Okamura (No.179). That run boosted her to her current WTA No.427.

Mimi is expected to appear in all junior Grand Slams this year as she did in the last 2 years of competition. Also, Mimi may play the newly relocated, Lexus Wrexham Open (W100) in October, which would be her first pro tournament on home soil.

James Story

Since finishing college tennis in the U.S., James has made strong progress on the men’s circuit, rising from ATP No.789 to No.622 in just a few months.

To start the year, he played four M15 ITF events, reaching the Round of 16 in Bressuire and the quarterfinals at an M30 in Glasgow. Most excitingly he also won the M30 Glasgow doubles title with fellow Brit Finn Bass.

In February, James earned a wild card spot into an ATP Challenger 75 in Glasgow, he won his two qualifying games & got into the main draw. He was also runner-up at a UTR Pro Tennis Tour event at Cardiff Met, where he trained as a junior. Off the court James’ rise in the ATP rankings & success at the collegiate level earned him the Tennis Wales Player of the Year award.

March took him to Portugal, where he made the semi-finals in singles and doubles at M30 Vale do Lobo. James also played at M30 Loulé and Saint-Dizier in France, a highlight for James was his win over ATP No.361 Toby Alex Kodat.

Other Welsh Highlights so far this year include:

• Megan Davies won the BUCS National Championships with Loughborough University and represented GB Universities, earning a win at Wimbledon against the All England Club team.
• Viktor Frydrych, a former junior Grand Slam competitor, is now training professionally in Spain as he starts his senior career.
• Felix Bockelmann Evans won his first adult title at the Progress Tour event in Cardiff despite only being 17 years old at the time.
• Elizabeth Evans has made three ITF J100 quarterfinals in Spain and Sweden.
• Fletcher Davies was runner-up at the U11 Lexus National Tour event and represented GB vs France.
• Max Lendrum competed at Les Petits As, the U14 world championship.
• Archie Gray won an ITF J30 doubles title in Liverpool.
• Felix Bockelmann Evans & Evan Lendrum were runners-up in doubles at the ITF J60 in Poland, a big moment for Welsh junior tennis.
• Emma Ketler reached the final of an ITF J30 doubles event in Sweden.

Welsh players are currently representing U.S. and UK university 1st teams, continuing to develop their talent while earning education through tennis. Overall Welsh tennis players have started the year in fine form, we look forward to seeing how 2025 continues to go!

Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

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