BRITAIN’S Hannah Klugman is looking to follow in the footsteps of teen sensation Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open.

Sixteen-year-old Andreeva lost in the junior final 12 months ago but beat sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur in the Rod Laver Arena on her way to the fourth round of the women’s singles in Melbourne this year before losing to Barbora Krejcikova.

Klugman, from Wimbledon, does not turn 15 until next month but is already ranked seventh in the junior game and has been attracting attention well beyond British shores.

In December, she became the first British girl to win the prestigious under-18 Orange Bowl title in Florida, whose former champions include Coco Gauff, Caroline Wozniacki and Chris Evert.

“I went into the week with not much expectations,” said Klugman. “I wasn’t playing that great. I went into Orange Bowl with a fresh mind and really played some great tennis.

“It was amazing. I was walking past a poster with all the winners. There’s some pretty amazing people on there. So it’s great.”

The teenager has a powerful forehand and serve, which reached 113mph during a first-round win over Antonia Vergara Rivera in the girls’ singles today.

Age restrictions designed to prevent the kind of teenage burnout seen in the women’s game in previous decades mean Klugman is heavily restricted in the number of senior tournaments she can play: only 10 in a year even once she turns 15. But her ranking is already in the top 700, and Andreeva’s rapid rise provides inspiration.

“It’s not that far away,” said Klugman. “People think it’s quite far away, but it’s actually not. She was here this time last year, and a lot can change really quickly.

“I don’t think some people would have said it would happen that quickly, and now she’s in the fourth round here. It’s crazy.”