South Carolina’s Isha Manchala wins Wimbledon Girls’ 14s singles

Isha Manchala grew up watching professional players grace the courts at Wimbledon on her TV. Like most juniors, she always imagined what it would be like to play at the All England Club in London.

The 13-year-old from Hilton Head Island, S.C., got her chance this summer and made a historic debut. Manchala was the first player from the United States to win the Wimbledon 14-and-under singles title since the event’s inception in 2022.

 Manchala beat Mariia Kocherzhenko of Ukraine 7-5, 2-6, 10-8 in the final.

“It was an awesome experience getting to play at Wimbledon at such a young age,” she said. “It was just like a dream come true, because my biggest dream was to play at Wimbledon. Getting to live that dream was just awesome.”

 Manchala, who trains at Van der Meer Tennis Academy under coach Derek Porter, didn't drop a set while winning all three of her group matches. She reached the championship match with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Lyubov Pronenko of Russia.

 “I was really disciplined”

“I felt like I was very prepared before all of my matches because I was really disciplined,” she said. “I was doing all my activations before the tournament. I trained really hard with my fitness coach and my coach, Derek, so I thought that was what really helped.”

 The teen had never played on grass before being selected to represent the United States at Wimbledon. Her father, Ravi, began looking for grass courts and the closest he found that his daughter could access were at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia, more than 700 miles away from home.

 Manchala spent three days practicing in Philadelphia, and another three days on grass courts in London under the guidance of USTA National Coach Celeste Frey before her first match.

 “Celeste does an exceptional job preparing these kids for that big stage,” the elder Manchala said. “Isha was so confident on the first day of the tournament. She finished her first match in 53 minutes and watching her move her feet and everything she did on the court, it felt like she belonged as a grass court player. It was natural for her.”

 Family makes the trip to London

Manchala’s parents and older brother, Rithik, traveled to London to watch her perform on the sacred grounds of the oldest Grand Slam tournament.

 “We are tennis lovers. We love watching our kids play and the Tennis Channel is on in our home every day. So, going to Wimbledon and watching Isha play on those courts was amazing,” her father said. “We were all so proud of how she did.” Aside from playing her matches, Manchala enjoyed touring around the area and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the sport’s biggest stars operate.

 “The players' area and the gym were great, because we got to see how the pro players prepare for their matches and how we can learn from them,” she said. “And the grounds are very busy. But you get to see all the matches, and it's just great.”

 Manchala’s community in Hilton Head Island welcomed her home with a big celebration at the clubhouse in her neighborhood. The party included cake, congratulatory banners and her matches playing on the television screens.

 Manchala didn’t have much time to rest after her Wimbledon victory before she was back on a plane heading overseas again to represent the U.S., this time at the World Tennis 14&U Junior Team Finals in Prostjevo, Czechia.

 “I definitely have another level of confidence on my shoulders now that I've gone to this big of a tournament and I did well and I won the title,” she said. “Now I just want to keep working hard so I can keep lifting big trophies.”