DANIEL Cox, the tennis prodigy sponsored by Bolton Wanderers, has flown to Munich for three weeks of tough tournament action, but at the peak of his form after leading Great Britain to a world title.
The 13-year-old former Rivington and Blackrod High School pupil, won five singles matches out of five to secure an amazing triumph for the unfancied British U14s to win the boys' title at the World Junior Tennis Championships in Prostejov in the Czech Republic.
A dramatic two-set victory over the Czech number one Emanuel Rehola clinched the title - only the second time Britain have won the event - sparking wild scenes of celebration with his proud father, Mark, joining team-mates and non-playing captain, Leighton Alfred, on the court, mobbing Daniel, who was knocked to the ground.
"I couldn't contain myself," Mr Cox said. "It was an unbelievable effort.
"Britain won the title in 1995 with Mark Hilton and Simon Dixon, but they've got nowhere near since then."
Daniel had a flawless singles run in the tournament, in which Britain beat Venezuela, Korea and top seeds France in their group games, and Thailand in the semi-final.
Lewis Barnes silenced the Czech crowd when he put the Brits ahead in the final, beating Jan Trocil 6-3 7-5, but Cox still had to pull out all the stops.
He took the first set 7-5 but Rehola fought back and took the second to a tie-break. But the gutsy youngster, who is a member of the Lawn Tennis Association's Academy at Loughborough, showed his class, and his character, to drop only one more point.
His aim now is to retain his ranking of number eight in Europe to qualify for the European Masters.
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