Essex Wildcard Ryan Peniston loses to Andy Murray
The Young Lives Vs Cancer Ambassador is being hailed as 'an inspiration' for following his dream
Ryan Peniston has been beaten by Andy Murray in an all-British clash in the first round at Wimbledon.
The two-time champion took apart countryman Peniston with a 6-3 6-0 6-1 victory under the roof to ease into the second round of Wimbledon for the 15th consecutive time.
The 27-year-old from Essex, who survived cancer as a toddler, had a breakthrough year in 2022, particularly on the grass, and won his first-round match at Wimbledon.
It is 11 years since a tearful Murray was beaten by the great Swiss Roger Federer (who sat in the royal box) in his first Wimbledon final, and he sincerely believes that his days of challenging for the title here are not over.
By starting a 15th campaign, he matched the open era record for a British man set by Jeremy Bates, and he would have taken confidence from knowing that in nearly 1,000 tour-level matches he had never lost to a player ranked as low as Peniston's 268.
The match
Peniston settled well on his Centre Court debut and was the better of the two for much of the first set but he was unable to take either of two early chances to break the Murray serve and paid for one loose game.
By the second set, the Scot, who went on to win the title after his only previous match against another British player here when he beat Liam Broady in 2016, was playing much better.
Peniston was still competing hard and pulling off some crowd-pleasing shots but Murray had cut out the unforced errors - 15 of his total of 24 came in the opening set - and was not giving his opponent anything.
By the time Peniston won another game, he had lost nine in a row and was 2-0 down in the third set.
Ryan: The Inspiration
Young Lives Vs Cancer, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting children and young people affected by cancer, say they've been privileged to have Ryan as one of its ambassadors since July 2022. Kim Mangelshot, the Fundraising Engagement Manager at Young Lives Vs Cancer, says the impact of Ryan's engagement and his ability to raise awareness about the organization's work are massive.
Sharing Personal Experiences
According to Kim, Ryan's involvement with Young Lives Vs Cancer began with him bravely sharing his own cancer story.
"He's been involved in various campaigns. One of the first things he did was share his real-life story with us, and that was used through Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September 2022."
Fundraising Efforts and Awareness Campaigns
Ryan has actively participated in fundraising events and awareness campaigns organized by Young Lives Vs Cancer. Kim says: "He gave up chocolate for 20 days and fundraised and got everybody on board, bringing some money in for the charity." Ryan's commitment to making a difference is evident through his active involvement in campaigns such as World Cancer Day.
"He brings a huge amount of positive energy to Young Lives Vs Cancer."
"Knowing that you can still live your dreams is amazing." Kim added: "Ryan's personal journey and resilience inspire other young people facing similar challenges, offering them hope and motivation to pursue their dreams".
She believes that young cancer patients working with the social workers will find encouragement in Ryan's story and the realization that they too can achieve their dreams. "They'll be sharing how much joy and how inspiring that is, and that they can actually see that there's another young person out there living their dream."
Expressing gratitude on behalf of Young Lives Vs Cancer, Kim says, "We are incredibly proud of Ryan, and the whole of Young Lives Vs Cancer is behind you, Ryan." She assures Ryan of their unwavering support, saying, "We are rooting for you."
You can read more about the charities work, here: https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/