Watson says she wishes she could spend more time on Guernsey

Guernsey's US Junior Open winner Heather Watson says she is now ready to make the switch to professional tennis.

The 17-year-old lost in the doubles at the Aegon Pro Series in Barnstaple on Friday alongside fellow British teenager Laura Robson.

The Guernsey star, who went out of the singles on Thursday, expects to turn pro on her return to the United States.

She told BBC Sport: "Turning pro means I'll commit 100% and I'll be focusing a lot more on tennis."

She added: "I know I can do it. I just have to keep working hard and believing that I can win, and slowly the results will come."

Watson and Robson were beaten 6-3 5-7 10-2 by Anna Gerasimou and Katalin Marosi in the quarter-finals of the doubles at the North Devon event.

Despite getting knocked out in both draws at Barnstaple, Watson has had an extremely successful year, capped by her defeat of Yana Buchina in the final of the girls' US Open at Flushing Meadows in September.

But the Guernsey-born star, who now trains and lives in Florida, said her one regret was that she had not been back to the Bailiwick since her Grand Slam win.

She said: "I got load of text messages and emails from so many people congratulating me.

One of my main goals is to be playing in the 2012 Olympics Heather Watson

"I'll always have a house in Guernsey; it will always be my home.

"I do miss it, but you have to make sacrifices and I do get to go back for two or three weeks a year."

Looking to the future, Watson, who is currently the British junior number one, also has ambitions to appear at the London Olympics in three years' time.

She said: "One of my main goals is to be playing in the 2012 Olympics, so hopefully I can be there."

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