The match attracted three former LTA presidents, who probably wished they had someone such as Laura Robson as a treasure when they occupied the throne room of British tennis. Blessed heavens, here is a 14-year-old girl who looks as if, with the best of following winds and good fortune with health and fitness, can play this game at a rarefied level.

Australian-born she may be, but Robson is now very much a Briton, ostensibly a little girl swinging a racket for fun and with enough measured poise and quality that the whispers are growing louder that we may have imported a significant gem.

A place in the semi-finals of the Wimbledon girls' singles championships was confirmed yesterday when she defeated Bojana Jovanovski, the No9 seed from Serbia, 7-5, 6-4. Robson has not dropped a set to this point and defeated Melanie Oudin, the No1 seed from the United States, in the second round.

Nigel Sears, the Great Britain Fed Cup captain, says that Robson is “fabulous” and will probably be in a position next year to be considered for the senior team. Sven Groeneveld, the Dutch coach, who masterminds the development of a group of players brought together under the umbrella of adidas, the sportswear company, and includes Ana Ivanovic, the world No1 from Serbia, believes that Britain has an outstanding prospect.

It is safe to say that it is a long time since there was such a chorus of experienced voices trumpeting the qualities of one so young. It is easy to see why the minute Robson starts to play. There is an air of absolute assurance about her: the clean hitting, the movement, the means by which she softens up her opponents and drills her flat ground strokes into positions from which retrieving is impossible. One is tempted to recall the first time one saw Martina Hingis, who had that indefinable something.

How good can she be? How long is a piece of string? Top 50? Top 20? Top 10? The figures are bandied about as frivolously as LTA projections. Twice this week, Robson has been brought into the main interview room at Wimbledon, a place normally the reserve of the sport's leading contenders. It is all a little OTT and yet the nation's need for reassurance knows no bounds. She admitted yesterday to being “a bit nervous being in here again”.

She was asked if she knew which British female had last won Wimbledon. “I believe that was Virginia Wade or someone quite a long time ago,” she replied. Right on both counts. It was pointed out that Wade was in the audience yesterday. “I think if someone had told me that before, I'd have been slightly more nervous,” Robson said. “I'm pleased no one told me.” She then talked about “not getting ahead of myself” - which is the way the whole thing ought to be handled.

Carl Maes, the head of women's tennis at the LTA, was coach to Kim Clijsters when the Belgian was the same age as Robson, so he talks from a position of authority. “It doesn't matter if Laura wins this tournament or not,” Maes said. “We just need to make sure she is given every opportunity for her talent to blossom. In women's tennis, players of 14 are beginning to play a game that is quite close to the seniors, because girls tend to mature earlier and they have similar weapons to the players on the main tour. There are elements to Laura's game that need polishing, but it will not change that much.”

Maes is working on a thesis that is called Same Rules, Different Game, which emphasises how working on the women's side of tennis is so different and how important the input of parents is with girls. Cathy, Laura's mother, has been at her side at every stage of her development; Andrew, her father, is an executive with Shell. British tennis is beginning to believe that it has struck oil.

Hits and misses

Three who made it ...

Annabel Croft Won the Wimbledon girls' title in 1984 and went on to reach world No21.

Buster Mottram Lost to Bjorn Borg in the final of the 1972 boys' singles; he reached world No15.

Andy Murray Won the US Open boys' title in 2004; will return to the top ten in the world next week.

Three who didn't ...

James Baily Won the 1993 Australian Open boys' title, but was terribly shy and after one event on the men's tour, he quit.

David Sherwood and James Trotman Won the 1997 Australian Open boys' doubles. Sherwood played a Davis Cup tie in Israel two years ago, but has retired; Trotman coaches for Tennis Australia.

Martin Lee Former No1 in the junior rankings, he lost in the final of the Newport, Rhode Island, event in 2001. Now coaches.