West Mersea tennis starlet Abi Claydon is off to southern Spain this weekend to compete in the La Manga finals.

Claydon, 15, of Coast Road, has won through to the Sunday Telegraph Center Parcs Grand Prix Girls 18 and Under Masters Final at the La Manga Club between November 5-9.

Proud of her Islander' origins - she has lived in Mersea all her young life, Claydon - a former St Mary's School pupil in Colchester - has been playing tennis fulltime for a year now.

She qualified for the finals in Spain following a succession of fine results around the country at venues including Frinton, Felixstowe and Glasgow.

"It will be a wonderful experience," Claydon told the Gazette as she prepared for her sunshine trip.

"The finalists play each other on a round-robin basis with the top two fighting it out in the final."

A former player at the Earls Colne Club, she has been operating out of the Connaught Club, Chingford, and was yesterday selected by Essex to play in the forthcoming County Cup Championship.

She recently won the grand sum of £81 with her doubles partner Georgina Bastik in a £21,000 tournament after they reached the quarter-finals, but she and Bastik now have a doubles world ranking.

"I want to become one of the top 100 female tennis players in the world one day," said Claydon, who ranks Australia's former Wimbledon men's champions Lleyton Hewitt as her big hero.

Claydon, who enters the tournament with a rating of 5.2 and a national ranking of 62 will be determined to add to her already impressive role of honour, including this year's 18 and Under Slazenger Lionel Bass Junior Open and the 16 and Under Ayrshire Junior Open Championship.

She qualifies for the Masters final following a host of eye-catching performances over the long, gruelling Grand Prix schedule where she amassed 320 ranking points for fifth place on the 18 and Under Girls leader-board.

Throughout the season players compete in numerous tournaments hosted by 82 venues nationwide.

Players are allowed to enter as many tournaments as they choose and are awarded performance-related points depending on their final position in each event.

The top four individuals from each of the Girls and Boys 14, 16 and 18 and Under categories qualify for the La Manga finals where they are joined by two wildcards selected by the Lawn Tennis Association.