Anna Smith crashed out of Wimbledon but was involved in a thrilling match on the famous No.1 court.

The 20-year-old, from Sanderstead, partnered Jade Curtis in an epic three-set women's doubles defeat as darkness fell last Wednesday night.

The rookie duo were pipped to the post by fellow Brits Laura Robson and Georgie Stoop after a three-hour match finished 4-6, 6-3, 11-13 in front of a packed house at the All England Club.

But despite the defeat Smith [pictured], who reached the first round of the AEGON Trophy in Nottingham earlier this month, insists she is itching for another spell in the limelight.

"It is for matches like this that I first started to play tennis," said the British No.10, who trains at Sutton Junior Tennis Centre.

"We were absolutely gutted not to have won, but we can take a lot of positives.

"The atmosphere was amazing – I think at first the crowd were cheering for Laura and Georgie because they know them from the singles. But as we fought our way back into the match, they were getting behind us and we couldn't have asked for any more.

"We got a standing ovation at the end and it felt superb. It felt like a once in a lifetime game, but I definitely want more of that."

The world No.394 will now return to the more humbled surroundings of the lower-ranked Challenger circuit after her Wimbledon adventure.

But Smith has vowed to take her All England Club form back onto the tour and continue her rise up the global rankings.

"This is definitely the highlight of my tennis career so far which sounds strange to say when we have lost," she added. "It was literally a few points here and there that proved to be the difference.

"I'm going off to Sweden next week and I just want to try and play as much tennis as I can. I'm really pleased how Wimbledon has gone and I'd like to keep playing now."