Anastasia Mikheeva praised after achieving No.1 tennis ranking

Edinburgh tennis star Anastasia Mikheeva was today praised for the "commitment and focus" that have taken her to No.1 in the latest UK rankings at under-12 age-group.

Marcel du Coudray, head coach at the 22-strong Scottish Tennis Academy, also said: "Anastasia is still very young but has the right attitude and has worked hard at developing a stronger backhand. She also puts a lot of effort into an Institute of Sport fitness programme. She could go all the way.

"It's exciting for Scottish tennis that youngsters like Anastasia are emerging. The next stage is to ensure some of the good juniors that are being produced go on to make their mark at senior level."

Anastasia is also coached by her Russian-born dad, Andrei, who says: "The No.1 ranking is a good measure of progress and shows the value of the hard work Anastasia puts in."