TOM Horsfall had to show all of his tenacity yesterday in the LTA Lexus British Tour men’s singles at Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club.

The 23-year-old home club member had only consumed a bowl of porridge that morning - the first thing he had eaten for three days since picking up a stomach bug - but still defeated teenager Max Westall from Newcastle 7-6 (2), 6-4 in a contest that lasted over two hours.

Visibly lacking energy and occasionally grabbing his side, Leeds Beckett University student Horsfall at least benefited from only having to play one singles match in qualifying for the Grade Two tournament yesterday, having received a first-round bye as the fourth seed.

“I feel very tired,” admitted Adel-based Horsfall, “and if I hadn’t have won the first set I don’t think that I would have won.

“I haven’t basically eaten since Friday, although I did manage to eat some porridge this morning.

“I also think that I have pulled something in my stomach, but thankfully that didn’t last too long.”

It isn’t easy for Horsfall, who is taking entrepreneurship and business management at LBU, to finish points early as he relies on consistency more than power, and he is playing in four events this week at Ilkley.

He confessed: “There was a point when I was playing on Sunday in the Grade Three singles at the Ilkley Open (which is running alongside the British Tour) where I thought about pulling out, but then I thought ‘I have paid to play’.

“I am also in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles in the Ilkley Open so after this week I will be needing a holiday, but I probably won’t take one!

“I am not light headed or feeling sick. I am just lacking energy, but if I wasn’t playing tennis it wouldn’t be an issue.”

Horsfall, who plays his final round qualifying match today, added: “Grass is an interesting surface for me, and if someone gets the first big shot in then their opponent is going to struggle.”

As for life after studying, Horsfall admitted: “I have no idea what I am going to do - I will be free, but I will probably do some tennis coaching as I already coach at Roundhay, Leeds Beckett and Thorner.”

Horsfall’s pal Tom Horsley won his first round qualifying match on Centre Court 4-6, 6-4, 10-0 (champions’ tie-break) against 16-year-old George Bowen from Durham & Cleveland.

But the 21-year-old from Addingham, who is studying at Adelphi University on Long Island in New York, then lost 6-4, 6-4 to Seth Briggs-Williams, despite admitting that he played a lot better in his second match.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old left-hander Thomas Nailer, from Burley-in-Wharfedale, defeated Raphael Tan 6-0, 6-1 before bowing out 6-4, 6-3 to Layne Gold.

Ilkley’s Arun Bahia, seeded 18th, lost 7-5, 7-5 to Harrison Cooper, while the other Thomas Naylor beat 12th seed Dennis Ivanov 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 before losing 7-6, 6-3 to Luke Dent.

Isabella Charnock, who comes from stellar tennis stock, lost a marathon women’s singles qualifier 6-1, 5-7, 10-3 to Elisa Gibson.

Charnock’s grandmother Joyce Fulton played in the women’s singles at Wimbledon five times between 1957 and 1966, while Isabella’s mum Katie Charnock (nee Howden) played multiple times for Yorkshire, helping their women win Group One of County Week at Eastbourne in 1991 - a feat her mother had achieved in 1963.

Together Joyce and Katie won the national mother and daughter championships, as well as the European crown.