Happy to see history in the making

SINGAPORE - His favourite tennis player, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, lost in the Wimbledon men's singles final on Sunday.

But law student Shaun Oon left Centre Court comforted by the fact that he had witnessed an historic moment - the crowning of Britain's first Wimbledon champion in 77 years.

That opportunity came about because the 23-year-old was himself a winner - of mio TV's Wimbledon Word Play contest, which ran from June 14 to 30.

His prize?

A pair of tickets to catch the men's and women's singles finals at Wimbledon, courtesy of mio TV, Star Sports and Fox Sports Plus.

The contest, part of the cable-TV provider's We're Bringing What You Love To Life campaign, required contestants to create as many new words as they could from the word Wimbledon in 60 seconds.

Those aspiring to win the contest, whose prize included return flights to London and three nights' accommodation at a five-star hotel for two, also needed to say why they deserved to get the pair of tickets in 200 words or less.

The entire package was worth more than $30,000.

Oon, who took his mum Shally Chua with him, was enthralled by his two visits to the All England Club and its fabled Centre Court.

He said: "It has been a wonderful experience for me. Never in my life did I imagine that I would be here in London to witness both the men's and women's finals live.

"Being part of a momentous occasion such as this, with Andy Murray being the first British man to win the trophy since 1936, makes it all the more special.

"The phenomenal play by the two exceptional players and lively atmosphere both on and off the court marked an unforgettable trip for me."

The keen tennis fan and player, who used to represent Victoria School, also got a pleasant bonus.

"Amazingly, I managed to spot (football star) Wayne Rooney in the Royal Box and got to meet (former tennis stars) Vijay Amritraj and John McEnroe."