Newcomer OCdt Milly Wood (East Midlands UOTC) enjoyed a Wimbledon debut to remember as an epic victory in the singles competition helped fire the army women to glory at the Inter-Services Tennis Championships.
Having made short work of Royal Navy number one LNN Olivia Stapley in her opening match, the top seed (pictured above) found herself embroiled in a three-set classic with the Royal Air Force’s AS1 Eve Brady before finally prevailing.
The result proved pivotal to the cause as the women’s team went on to post a 100 per cent record from the 12 ties they played over the course of two days – matching their achievement from 2024. Wood, in her first season of army tennis, showed early nerves in her clash with Stapley as unforced errors helped her rival win the first game.
However, she soon settled into her work and went on to take the set 6-2 – an outcome that was repeated in the second as she started in style.
2023 women’s champion Brady provided a sterner test, and the RAF ace broke serve on three occasions as she claimed the first set 6-4.
Brady then raced into a 3-0 lead in the second before Wood came roaring back by winning four consecutive games.
Her opponent found herself on the brink of victory at 6-5 but Wood held serve and went on to take the tiebreak 7-4 to square the match at 1-1.
The back-and-forth continued in the decider as service became increasingly difficult to hold, while several games were determined by lengthy tussles at deuce.
But Wood eventually broke the resistance to win 6-4 and conclude a contest that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours.
“It was a battle from the beginning,” the victor told SoldierSport afterwards.
“Having lost the first set I knew I had to win the second, but it would be tough.
“I had to rely on some luck, and she was a gritty opponent, but these are the matches that put fire in my belly.
“Focusing ball to ball is the most important thing and you cannot afford to feel low or negative from the previous point. It is a case of zoning in on what's in front of you.
“It was so close and there was nothing between us. There were some fortunate net chords that came in important points for both of us and it was the support of the crowd that eventually got me through.
“This is my first time at Wimbledon, and it has been amazing – this is the best grass out there.
“Beforehand our coach said that if we are not stepping away having enjoyed it we have done something wrong and that is what I carried forward.
“We are a team, and this is a team effort – I did not think about the pressure of being army number one.
“We wanted to go out and get the results we needed.
“We didn’t know who was coming from the navy or RAF, so it was a case of focusing on ourselves and the team.”
The outcome meant Wood finished the 2025 season as both army and Inter-Services individual champion. Second seed Sig Faye Worrall (R Signals) also made a dominant start to proceedings as she cruised past Flt Lt Sarah Wilkie (RAF) 6-0, 6-2.
But the navy provided a tougher challenge second time round as AB Lauren Howard traded strong groundstrokes from the baseline. Worrall eventually claimed the first set on a tiebreak, before winning the second 6-3.
While Wood and Worrall had questions to answer it was plain sailing for third seed and 2024 champion Capt Holly Fleming (RAMS, pictured below), who won both her contests 6-0, 6-0 without breaking sweat.
In a sign of the team’s strength, Sig Emma McMahon (R Signals) – a beaten finalist at this season’s army championships – and former number one Cpl Chloe Pike (Int Corps) were not selected for singles action. And nor was Maj Fiona Welborn (RAMS) – a player who has never lost an Inter-Services tie at Wimbledon.
However, the trio took to the court in doubles action a day later to help maintain the soldiers’ position of dominance and the three pairings won all six contests to complete back-to-back tournament clean sweeps.
