O'Brien fails to join renaissance

Hull schoolgirl Katie O'Brien failed to join the renaissance of British women's tennis today when she lost her rain-hit first-round match with Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo.

The 18-year-old, who is juggling her A-levels with her Wimbledon debut, was hoping to join four other Britons in the second round of the women's singles.

But the youngster, who is ranked 576th in the world, trailed 4-6 4-5 when rain drove the players from court 11 on Tuesday and the Spaniard took just two minutes to wrap up a 6-4 6-4 victory, winning all four points to be played.

O'Brien, who is studying maths and French at a college in Leeds, was given special dispensation to sit her exams in London.