Another Week at Aldershot Tennis Centre completed and another fantastic competition wrapped up, which culminated in two dramatic Finals. Louis Bowden, the promising 18-year-old, won his second UKPL title at his third-ever event, and Eliz Maloney won her first of the year.
In the Men’s Final, Louis Bowden, the 18-year-old playing in his third ever UKPL week but already chasing down a second Week Win, faced top seed Oscar Weightman, the 21-year-old yet to win a UKPL Week and competing in UKPL for the first time this year.
Bowden started stronger, winning his opening service game and then immediately breaking Weightman’s serve. However, the tables then turned; Weightman did not drop a point in the next two games, evening the score at 2-2. In a testament to both player’s powerful serves, they each held to love in the following two games and the set stayed with serve until the last game, where a few marginal errors from Weightman allowed Bowden to finally get another break, winning him the set 6-4. An incredibly close first set, with Weightman winning 25 points to Bowden’s 28.

Top seed Oscar Weightman trailed in the first set
The second set continued with attacking play from both sides of the net. Bowden was the first to break, making fewer errors, for 3-1. The game continued with game and so, at 5-3, Bowden was serving to win, and the match looked likely to wrap up. However, Weightman was not going to give up. He capitalised on a couple of small errors from Bowden to force the break of serve. The match was back on. Weightman held in the next game to even the score, but Bowden retaliated and stepped his play up a gear, pulling off some fantastic shots to hold for 6-5. In the last game, Weightman made a few too many inaccurate shots, handing Bowden two match points, on the second of which he struck a powerful shot past Weightman, who hesitated on the volley, and the match was won 6-4, 7-5.

Louis Bowden becomes the first player to win multiple Weeks in 2023
Bowden already knows the benefit of winning a UKPL week. He utilised his wildcard prize from winning UKPL Week 4 to compete in the main draw of a Nottingham 25k last month, where he won in the first round, thereby awarding him his first ATP points. He said after the match:
“(the match) went really well, I started really well. I’ve played Oscar a lot of time and I know he’s a good player.”
“I’m very pleased…(the UK Pro League) got me my first ATP points, it’s massively helped, all three have been really really good.”
Bowden now heads off to summer school at Baylor University in the US, and we wish him the best of luck.
In the Women’s Final, Danielle Daley was aiming, like Bowden, for her second Week Win of the year. She faced Eliz Maloney, another UKPL regular and a good friend of Daley’s off-court. But on court, it was going to be competitive; Maloney was yet to win a UKPL Week this year, to add to her collection of 3 from previous years.
The level of tennis was impressive from the offset; Daley broke Maloney’s serve in the opening game but then struggled slightly to return Maloney’s serve, affording Maloney an immediate break back. The match continued with serve; both women moving well around the court playing plenty of exciting points. Daley in particular was impressive in this first set, considering Maloney’s position over 600 places ahead of her in the WTA ranks (Maloney at 396, Danielle at 1031), she was pulling off numerous perfectly placed shots to more than hold her own. Daley got the next break for 4-3 and saved a breakpoint in the following game to hold. She then broke Maloney’s serve yet again to win the set 6-3.
In an impressive start, Daley took the first set 6-3
In the second set, Daley was the first to get the break for 3-1, and the upset win for her seemed imminent. However, to think that would be to underestimate Maloney. A few small mistakes from Daley and Maloney seized her chance, forcing an immediate break back. Daley was shaken, and back-to-back double faults from Daley handed Maloney another break for 4-3, putting her in the lead for the first time in the set.
Eliz Maloney made a stunning comeback from a set and a break down
The tide had turned, Maloney started to pull ahead, breaking again for 5-4 and then, despite Daley winning some fantastic points to save 2 set points, Maloney served out the set: 6-4.
It was all to play for in the 10-point tiebreak set, but the momentum stayed with Maloney, who kept her cool to quickly pull ahead to 6-1. Daley managed to win a couple more points but did not have a chance to catch up and Maloney won 10-4. And so, from a set and a break down, Maloney made the comeback look easy, reminding us all why she’s top 400 in the world.
A great week for both our women’s finalists ?: WInner Eliz Maloney (left) with runner-up Danielle Daley (right)
Re-watch all the action over at ukproleague.tv and see the Week’s results in full here