Kimberly Dell left a note on the fridge to her parents' Eastbourne bungalow stating: "I will play well, don't worry".

The 20-year-old wheelchair ace was as good as her word as she impressed in her debut at the Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, revealing from the Sunshine State how it was all down to the weather back home.

The Paralympian was included among the world's top eight wheelchair tennis players in an event alongside the one involving stars like Venus Williams and her hero Andre Agassi.

Although ranked No. 11, Kimberly justified her inclusion by defeating Dutch player Angela Mass, ranked eight, 6-2, 6-4 before being edged out in the semi-finals by Esterh Vergeer, No. 1 and Sydney gold medallist.

She said: "Angela is a very good player who had previously beaten the top two in the world. But it was very windy and that suited me more. I'm used to practising in horrendous weather with the winds blowing around Seven Sisters and Beachy Head and across Eastbourne.

"I think Angela prefers playing indoors and that went in my favour. As I predicted to my mum and dad, I played well.

"It was a fantastic opportunity for me at such a prestigious event and I'm happy with the way I played. The fact we are rubbing shoulders with all the able-bodied stars shows that tennis isn't just paying lip service to wheelchair tennis. I saw plenty of the stars in the players' lounge and where we re-strung our racquets. There was Venus, Jennifer Capriati, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, a lot of the girls. I also saw Lleyton Hewitt.

"I was also able to see Capriati and Agassi, who I met briefly at Wimbledon one year, play."

But Kimberly had mixed emotions about the event.

She said: "There weren't many wheelchair players there so it limited the social side.

"We were planning to go down to South Beach for a night out but had problems over a taxi. It was just as well because we heard on the news how three people had been stabbed on the beach that night.

"The people who looked after the wheelchair tennis players, though, were great."

Kimberly, who helped Britain win a bronze medal in last year's World Cup, appreciates the support tennis gives her sport, particularly individuals like Greg Rusedski.

The British No. 2 donated a £1,000 prize from TV's Ready, Steady Cook last week to wheelchair tennis. Whether Kimberly will return to Miami next year is up for debate because she is to lose her sponsors. Her mother Sheila said: "Ordnance Survey have been fantastic. They've given her £30,000 over the last four years and without their help there is no way she would have made the top ten."