11th April, 2022

Lumsden and Cox win week 4 of the UK Pro League

Maia Lumsden admitted she had no real expectations heading into Week 4 of the 2022 UK Pro League after completing a remarkable recovery from long Covid to triumph in Saturday’s final at Warwick University.

Lumsden, 24, is returning to the sport after an 18-month layoff and marked her return with a strong week that resulted in a hard-fought victory over Marni Banks in the final. There have been times over the past 18 months where the Scottish star has struggled to get out of bed due to her illness, though the UK Pro League has provided the perfect platform for her to start her comeback.

And in the men’s final, victory went the way of experienced Daniel Cox, who fended off a comeback from Billy Harris to prevail in straight sets.

Glasgow ace Lumsden, who won three singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit before being struck down with the virus in 2020, said:

“Physically, it was a tough one. “Obviously it was great to get through in a tiebreak as tiebreaks to ten are always quite tight. “I thought I played well in the first set and then it was a bad game to lose my serve in the second, but that was all that was in it. I’m glad I found my game for the tiebreak. “I didn’t really have any expectations in terms of results. My goal was to just manage the five matches and hope I was going to feel fine through it. To get a win is such a nice bonus.

The fact that no matter the result I was going to get a number of matches was perfect for me in this situation. To come through them and be feeling OK is a massive positive as before the event I guess I wasn’t sure exactly how I’d feel and how I’d react. Overall it’s been really positive to get all these matches this week.

“It feels great to be back playing after such a long time. I’ve really missed the feeling of competitive matches so to be playing all these matches this week is a great feeling. The event’s been great. It’s so well run and I’ll definitely be back.”

Banks and Lumsden had previously contested one the matches of the event in the pool stage, with Banks prevailing 6-7(5), 7-5, 11-9 on the opening day at Warwick University. Despite an opening defeat Lumsden rallied and won every other match she contested to reach the final, while Banks was unbeaten approaching the Saturday showpiece.

This proved to be another tight encounter, though it was Lumsden who prevailed to cap a memorable return to tennis.

The Scottish star was in control of the opening set, breaking twice, though Banks responded with a strong second set to force a deciding tiebreak. But Lumsden was able to wrestle back control of the encounter, and some impressive tennis in the closing stages saw her claim a 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 win in an hour and 40 minutes.

In the men’s event, Cox and Harris had picked up a string of comprehensive victories on their way to the final, with neither player dropping a set across their previous matches.

And Cox continued his dominant form at the start of the contest, comfortably claiming the opening set and racing to a double break lead as he closed in on victory. However, Harris refused to go down without a fight and battled back from 4-1 down to force a second-set tiebreak against the Lincoln star.

A nail-biting tiebreak ensued and Harris had a handful of chances to force a deciding ten-point tiebreak, though the 31-year-old held firm and closed out a 6-2, 7-6(9) victory in an hour and 56 minutes. Cox, who reached the first round of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, said: “I started off really well, going 6-2, 4-1 up and was really happy with the way I was playing, but then I took my foot off the gas a little bit.

“He started to improve, to miss a little less, he did well to claw it back at the end. It feels good after reaching a few finals. This is my first win since the Pro League started so I’m really happy to come through with a win, especially from being quite far up in the match and eventually nearly losing the second set. I’m really relieved to get through that.

“We’ve got four ITF 25ks in Nottingham coming up. I only live 45-50 minutes away so there I obviously want to try and make the most of it. Having won this tournament is good preparation!”

With nearly half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, all the thrills and spills are broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv.  News and updates across the season can be found at ukproleague.com

 

28th February, 2022

Murphy and Lukosiute win week 3 of the UK Pro League

Brandon Murphy admits he surprised even himself after becoming just the second man ever to claim back-to-back UK Pro League titles.


The 21-year-old ace beat the experienced Dan Cox in straight sets on Saturday to follow up his Week 2 triumph in style at Welwyn Garden City’s Gosling Tennis Centre.
Last season’s UK Pro League champion Anton Matusevich, the world No.174, racked up two week wins on the spin last year to help navigate his way to Finals Week and Murphy was able to emulate his achievement with an efficient 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Murphy is a relative newcomer to the competitive UK Pro League circuit and after toppling Cox, who reached the first round of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, says his consecutive 18-point haul is a shock to the system.


He said: “Back-to-back wins is very surprising for me – I won the first one and couldn’t believe it, and I feel exactly the same.
“I don’t understand how I keep winning these matches against these top players. I just feel great – my confidence is really high, I’m very relaxed and because I haven’t played that much recently, I just go out there and play.
“If I lose, I lose and if I win. I win. I thought I played very well today – Dan’s a very good player and I knew that I needed to bring my A-game, keep a clear head and take my chances when needed.
“I’ve never played this many matches in such a short space of time, so to get these matches is exactly what I need right now.”

The premier league of British tennis, the innovative UK Pro League is the only season-long domestic competition for the UK’s top professionals and brings them together for seven weeks of action to qualify for the UK Pro League Finals Week in November.
And in winning two weeks in a row, Murphy not only followed in the footsteps of Matusevich, 20, but also women’s players Sonay Kartal, Emily Appleton and Lauryn John-Baptiste.


Kartal was crowned last season’s UK Pro League champion and with the south coast star not in action for Week 3 of the 2022 edition, it was Andre Lukosiute who reigned supreme in a thrilling women’s final.
Lukosiute, 20, battled back from match point down to win a pulsating tie-break 13-11 and claim a valuable 18 ranking points.
The Lithuanian ace took the first set 7-5 but after losing the second 6-3, held herself together to edge over the line and add to the four points she claimed in Week 2.
Lukosiute has now built major momentum heading into Week 4 at the beginning of April and hopes to carry on where she left off following a resilient display.

She said: “It was a really good, tough and long match.
“I’m happy with my fighting spirit – I was match points down but didn’t get annoyed with myself and pulled through.
“I’m happy at how many matches I got and that I played different sort of players this week.
“The format is really good for all the players – it doesn’t matter how well you do and you always get five matches, which is great for match-play.
“The prize money really helps the players, so I’m really glad I’m able to play and I really appreciate the opportunity.
“I’m hoping to travel for a bit, play in the some Futures events and then hopefully come back to the UK Pro League.”

With nearly half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, all the thrills and spills are broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv. News and updates across the season can be found at ukproleague.com

7th February, 2022

Murphy and Malygina win Week 2 of the UK Pro League

Brandon Murphy reckons mental fortitude and an ability to win ugly fired him to a stunning Week 2 victory on his UK Pro League debut.

Murphy, 21, beat experienced Luke Johnson 6-4, 7-6 in Saturday’s men’s final to cap a week to remember. He toppled long-term UK Pro League campaigner Billy Harris in a thrilling quarter-final and after breezing past Ewan Moore on Friday, finished his week in style with another straight sets victory.

And Murphy, who battled back from a break down in the first set against Johnson, 27, at Sheffield’s Graves Tennis Centre, said:

“I didn’t start very well but I thought mentally, I was very good and very strong. I was a break down at the start but I clawed it back – I wasn’t playing the best tennis but mentally, I thought it was one of the best performances I’ve had for a while.

“Mentally I could have let that first set slip away from me, but I just focused on the basics, the bread and butter, clawed it back and got a bit lucky.

“In the second set the momentum was flowing, I took my chances when needed before we played a good tie-break.

“It’s been an unbelievable week for me.”

The premier league of British tennis, the innovative UK Pro League is the only season-long domestic competition for the UK’s top professionals and brings them together for seven weeks of action to qualify for the UK Pro League Finals Week in November.  Murphy racked up five matches in a week at the Yorkshire venue and after a year without playing much tennis, added:

“Even if I didn’t win any matches I’m guaranteed matches here, and that’s the best way of practice.
“Not many places do that – this is the third year [of the UK Pro League] and all the players that play really benefit from it.”


Murphy reigned supreme in the men’s Saturday showpiece while in the women’s event, it was Elena Malygina who was crowned Week 2 winner. The Estonian ace blew away Sofia Samavati 6-1, 6-4 in the final to complete a searing week of tennis.
Malygina, 21, lost just one match all week in Sheffield and dropped a total of just seven games in the process, beating Week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu and Anna Brogan in the quarter and semi-finals.
That teed up a mouth-watering clash against Samavati on Saturday and having met three times already in recent weeks, it was Malygina who grabbed the win to clinch a crucial 18 ranking points in the standings.
The UK Pro League next heads to Welwyn Garden City’s Gosling Tennis Centre and ahead of Week 3 kicking off on February 20, Malygina said:

“I played really good. [Me and Sofia] have played in each recent tournament and I’m leading 3-1 now, so that’s good. I liked my serve, my forehand and I’m happy with everything this week.

“I really like the Pro League format – it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, you play five matches and that’s good for experience and playing different players.
“Every day you have a match – you need to be in shape, which is really good.”

22nd January, 2022

Gray and Vasilescu win the first week of the 2022 UK Pro League

The UK Pro League is back with a bang in 2022 with Arina Vasilescu and Alastair Gray crowned as Week 1 winners after a dramatic day of finals action in south-west London.

Vasilescu beat 2021 Pro League Champion Sonay Kartal in a thrilling three-set final to triumph, while Gray defeated Ryan Peniston in straight sets at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

The premier league of British tennis, the innovative format is the only season-long domestic competition for the UK’s top professionals and brings them together for seven weeks of action to qualify for the UK Pro League Finals Week in November.

And 24-year-old Vasilescu held firm to win the Week 1 women’s event, surviving a late surge from Kartal to claim victory – having won just three games when they met in the pool stage.

The Romanian, who came into the week as the one permitted “guest” player, led by a set and a double break at 6-2, 4-1 but found herself in a deciding ten-point tie-break after Kartal won six of the next seven games to level.

Kartal held a handful of match points in the breaker but Vasilescu rallied late on to seal victory 6-2, 5-7, 12-10 in an hour and 55 minutes.

“The match was hard. It was not easy to win against her [Kartal] – you have to move a lot and move well. It was a long week so I’m a little bit tired,” said Vasilescu.

“I was 4-1 up in the second set and she started to play a little bit better, I was moving worse and it went to a match tie-break. Somehow I managed to win it!

“I’m going to play Loughborough next and maybe also Birmingham in three weeks. This week has been very good for me because I needed a lot of matches on hard courts. I improved my game after every match.

“It’s going to help me play better in the 25K events and I heard that the players here improved a lot from playing lots of matches. The girls here should have a lot better ranking, it helps the players a lot.”

With 9 of the top 20 British men competing in this opening week of the UK Pro League, the field in the men’s draw was exceptionally strong.

Gray and Peniston also met in the pool stage earlier this week, with Gray winning 10-8 in a deciding tie-break on that occasion.  Both then battled through the knock-out stages to meet again in the final.

However the 23-year-old from Twickenham picked up a more straightforward victory this time around, winning in straight sets to finish the week unbeaten and seal a the first Pro League week victory.

Gray did have to save a break point when serving for the match, but eventually sealed an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory in an hour and 30 minutes, and he was understandably delighted to come out on top.

Gray said: “Today’s match was very difficult. Ryan is a very good player, a good counter-puncher which is difficult for someone who plays like myself, who likes to come to the net. I managed to serve very well and win the important points. It was a very difficult match but I’m happy to come through.

“It feels great to have won the first UK Pro League, I didn’t play any last year which I was disappointed about but the year before I played a couple so it’s very nice to have won the first one.

“My main takeaway for the past few days and the last week is just match experience really. Getting to get on the match court again and playing against great opponents and feeling the tension in the tight moments and learning how to deal with them. I did that successfully this week and I’ll certainly take that forward into the tournament next week, Loughborough, and the following 25Ks.

“It’s a great schedule in Great Britain for the coming months and the rest of this year. That complemented with the UK Pro League is giving the Brits a great chance to play great matches and earn good money. It’s so great what the UK Pro League is doing to help out British tennis players.”

Week 2 of the UK Pro League will begin on Sunday 30 January at the Graves Club in Sheffield.

15th November, 2021

A conversation with: Sultan Gangji

Former ITF umpire Sultan Gangji has been a key member of the UK Pro League family in his role as tournament referee and here we chat about his 40 years in tennis, some of his most contentious moments in the chair and why the UK Pro League has become his new passion.

Photo: Ian Hall

How did you get into umpiring?

It started it as a hobby nearly 40 years ago. It all started at a club called Cumberland in Hampstead, North-West London and two guys called Bjorn Borg and Vitas Gerulaitis were preparing for Wimbledon. One year at university I was asked by the club chairman there: “Can somebody look after Borg and help him out and make sure they don’t go on the grass court before and after and make sure their lunch is organised?”

So I volunteered and the next thing you know I was getting involved and then six months later we had what was then the satellite circuit, it was something different and I wanted to try my hand at umpiring.

What was your path into umpiring?

I did my qualifications, worked my way up and at the end of 1989 I became one of the first six chair umpires to be chosen by the ITF to go around the world to be a chair umpire. I had the most amazing career around the world – from starting off in the Australian Open, then the French Open, then Wimbledon, Queen’s Club and the US Open. In between, I did all the Davis Cup ties. It was a really exciting venture, I did that for seven years.

Tell us about your experience as umpire at the 1992 Wimbledon Ladies Final?

I was meant to be doing the men’s singles final that year, but I was switched to the Ladies Final between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles and right away I knew this could be tricky. Seles had caused a lot of grief because some of the players like Martin Navratilova were complaining that she was making too much grunting and screaming.

Alan Mills was a Wimbledon referee then and I spoke to him about Rule 25 and how grunting could put the opponent off.

So the plan was to try and stop her grunting? 

I’m a nice guy, I like to educate people, I’m a teacher at heart – so I said the first time she does it I’m going to tell her: “Monica in my opinion you’re being deliberate by making noise, please cut it out,” I’m going to do that discreetly.

What happened after the match?

The next day The Sun and The Mirror newspapers had ‘the umpire stops Monica Seles from grunting’. So there was a few different articles that I’ve got at home. It was uncomfortable, but I think it was the right thing to do for tennis.

Who were your favourite players to officiate?

I dealt with John McEnroe a lot but we got on really well since the start of my career and then I became known as Mr McEnroe’s umpire because he liked me and he called me Mr Zanzibar. He heard I came from Zanzibar and while he didn’t always like umpires McEnroe would often say I was his favourite. I didn’t know it when I was umpiring by the way because he didn’t always seem to like me, but we are good friends now.

Tell us about your work with the UK Pro League?

I was asked to get involved and I enjoy being the referee for this event. It is so important for British players to have a tournament they can earn money from and get match practice in before they go off to try and get ranking points and so many of the players who have done well in the UK Pro League have enjoyed good results after their weeks with us.

When you saw Emma Raducanu win the UK Pro League last year, were you convinced she was destined for the top?

We all felt that she had potential, I looked at her and saw good players around her and thought she’s got potential. I guessed she would have got top 100 and I was excited for her, that would be a terrific achievement. But what she’s done is mind boggling and a dream come true. Never in the history of any sport, let alone tennis. For all the girls at the UK Pro League it’s like, if she can do it, why not me? And there is no doubt the UK Pro League helped her massively last year.

Listen to Sultan’s on the Functional Tennis Podcast: https://www.functionaltennis.com/pages/sultan-gangji-on-the-functional-tennis-podcast

13th November, 2021

A conversation with: Jo Durie

Former British No.1 Jo Durie was in attendance at the UK Pro League in her capacity as coach for Eliz Maloney and she gave us her thoughts on the importance of the event in the British tennis calendar and the impact made on the game by last year’s Pro League champion, Emma Raducanu.

How important has the UK Pro League been to British players in the last 18 months?

It has been so important. The UK Pro League has been a lifesaver as it has allowed our players to play matches and earn money when travel was so difficult. You can only practice so much and it has been wonderful to have this event spread over the course of the year.

For a player like Eliz Maloney (Below), who I am working with at this event, it has given her a wonderful platform to play matches and when she was able to travel again, the games she had under her belt really helped her. There is nothing like playing matches.

The LTA are supporting this and that is the right thing to do. We all need to pull together in tennis for the good of the game and there are too many different factions in tennis. The last thing we need is any more.

What is the first big target for the players in the UK Pro League? 

Top 100 is what they are aiming for. If you get to that level, you are playing in all four Grand Slam tournaments and you are starting to earn money from the sport. Your experience at that level of the game is different and that is what all these players in the UK Pro League are striving for. When you get there, anything is possible. The trouble is there are a lot of players our there from a whole load of countries who are working as hard as you to get there.

Emma Raducanu won the UK Pro League last year and now she is the US Open champion. What impact can her success have on other British players?

There are some players who played her in this country not so long ago and beat her. Then they see her winning a Grand Slam and they will think why can’t I do something like that. It has given them extra motivation and confidence.

It was just totally amazing. We are all still talking about it. I have spoken to so many people who never really watched tennis and it just caught their imagination. It really has made an impact on a lot of people. She is so engaging as a character, easy to watch as she is such a great player and it really has inspired a lot of people and given our game a massive boost.

Did you always see this potential in Raducanu? 

I saw someone who was going to be very good, but to win a Grand Slam like that… no I didn’t see that happening. This was someone who didn’t play much at the start of this year, had not even played a match on the WTA Tour and then she played in the manner she did at Wimbledon before we all saw what happened at the US Open. That was not on anyone’s radar, but we can all see the talent there. She works hard, is eager to learn, has a great temperament, so let’s celebrate her success. It’s fantastic for Emma and everyone involved in British tennis.

How can we open more doors to our young players in the UK?

There are only four Grand Slams that get the benefit of money from those events and we are licks to have one here with Wimbledon, so it’s all about how you use it. The LTA are on to a hiding to nothing a lot of the time, but I would like to see the money spread around a little bit more. I work with youngsters at the Jet Academy in North London and you see players at the age of 11 and 12 who are winning events, but they might not even be playing the sport by the age of 16. So it’s very difficult to pick out early on those players who will succeed. Some players develop later. It is hard to assess who are the players to back, so spreading the money around a little more to encourage development may be helpful.

11th November, 2021

A conversation with: Sonay Kartal

Sonay Kartal shot to prominence last summer when clips of her junior matches with Emma Raducanu became viral social media hits and now she has set her sights on achieving success in her own career.

Sonay’s battles with Raducanu in under-9 and under-12 events highlighted the stunning abilities of the two young players and now she is making her mark in the UK Pro League Final Weeks in Shrewsbury.
We sat down with Sonay to get her views on her rivalry and friendship with Raducanu, as well as looking ahead to what she hopes will be a breakthrough year in 2022.

Photo by: Ian Hall

 

  • How important has the Pro League been for your year?

Getting the match practice is so important and that’s why the Pro League has been massive for the British players. The format of the Pro League is fantastic as it means we are all guaranteed matches in the round-robin format. If you go to a regular tournament and lose in the first round, that is the end of it, but there is another match to play here. The prize money is incredible and it allows us to fund future trips to rankings events.

 

  • How tough is it to make the step from the junior ranks to the professional tour?

It’s very tough. I know so many people who have dropped out of tennis because they couldn’t afford to go on the Tour and it might not be because they were not good enough. It just came down to having money to fund it. My target for next year is to be in the top 500 of the WTA rankings. At the moment I’m in the 900s, but I want to get that moving next year.

 

  • Do you feel you are ready to make that step up?

I had injury problem as my body just wasn’t standing up to the demands of playing regular matches week after week, but it feels like I’m getting there now. This Pro League has been fantastic for me and my aim is to stay fit and try and kick on next year.

 

  • How do you deal with defeats?

I’m okay with it. Mentally, I feel like that is one of my big strengths. Some hurt more than others, but the think about tennis is once one match finishes, there is always another one.

 

  • You shot to prominence in viral media videos playing Emma Raducanu in junior matches this summer. How did it feel to be in the media spotlight?

It was fine. I remembered the match when we were nine and the point that was replayed so many times so well. Luckily I hit the winning shot at the end of it!

The interest in those videos went around the world and I was in Turkey two weeks ago playing an event and some Italian coaches came up to me as they knew I was the girl on the clips playing Raducanu.  My story is a little different to Emma’s because I have had some injury problems that have hampered me, but we can all take inspiration from her success.

 

  • Raducanu won the UK Pro League last year, so does her success since then offer you inspiration?

Of course. I grew up playing Emma, so it proves to me that the dream of making it in tennis is not too far away. It has put into perspective for all the British players just how possible it could be to breakthrough.

Emma’s success is just crazy. The fact that she hadn’t even won a single match in a WTA event and then went out and won the US Open… it was just crazy.

I sent her a text to say well done after the win in New York and there is no jealously from my end. Just a realisation that we can all do it if we push hard and take our chances.

 

  • Who are your favourite tennis players?

    Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters. It has been amazing to watch this era of tennis with Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic and I don’t think we will ever see three players competing against each other like that again. It has been incredible to watch.

 

By Kevin Palmer

10th November, 2021

A conversation with: Anton Matusevich

Anton Matusevich has been one of the stand-out performers in the UK Pro League this year and we sat down with the 2018 US Open junior doubles champion to get his thoughts on what lies ahead in his highly promising career.

Photo: Ian Hall
  • How important has the UK Pro League been to your year?

    It’s been vital. The organisers have done an incredible job with this event and deserve a lot of credit. Playing in this event was a massive confidence boost for me at the start of the year to play in these Pro League matches and the standard of play here is very good.I struggled in my first week, but match practice is so important and by the second and third week, I was playing really good stuff. The more you play, it helps you game massively and I see that in my own game when I’ve had good match practice.You can take confidence from the matches you play in the Pro League and it can help you to get ATP points, so it is fantastic for us.

  • How tough is it to earn a living when you are trying to make a break into the professional ranks of the game?

    It’s tough at the start of your career. Tennis is a tough sport to get into and trying to do it financially on your own is not easy. The LTA helped me out big-time during Wimbledon by sending a coach to work with me and that’s so important. Working on your own is tough on a few levels and having a coach to give you some support is vital.Coaches don’t come for free and you need to invest in your career to have a chance, but funding it at the start is tough. That’s why this UK Pro League is so important for us.Covid didn’t help bevies a lot of tournaments were cancelled and I lost some sponsors because of it, but I have just signed a new deal with Migom Bank and help like that is vital at this stage of my career.

  • Emma Raducanu won the UK Pro League last year and is now the US Open champion, so that has to be an inspiration for everyone playing in this year’s event?

    I feel like I have a long way to go to think about anything like that. I need to add consistency to my game and that means playing competitive matches on a regular basis and improving. You will lose a lot of matches at the start of your career, but playing tournament is what it is all about. It’s a long and difficult journey to succeed at tennis. This sport requires a lot of dedication and money to and also, tennis is unforgiving as you cannot be injured in any part of your body. If your little finger hurts, you can’t hold a racket, so it is tough. Then you have so many great players down the other end of the court causing you nightmares and you are out there on your own. You have to be ready for it mentally and physically. If you fully commit to the sport, get everything right on and off the court, I believe you can crack the top 100. You also need to be very good and what Emma Raducanu has done this year shows what is possible if you get it all right. Radders is a ridiculous tennis player. I wasn’t expecting her to win the US Open so soon after she won the UK Pro League last year, but you could see how she was progressing as the tournament went on and by the end, she was getting better and better, so well done to Emma.

  • You have hit with Andy Murray over the last year. What has that experience been like?

    I always love to hit with Andy and always try to beat him when we practice! He is very good with the British players and brought a lot of energy to the Battle of the Brits event last year. He didn’t play too many matches, but he was fantastic on court and off court with everyone in the event. It’s very enjoyable to practice with him.

  • What other sports do you enjoy?

    I love snooker. Ronnie O’Sullivan is just a joke. Right handed, left handed… he can hit a 147. He’s just amazing. He must do so much work in the practice room to get to that level.

10th November, 2021

Beth Grey pleased to start with a win at UK Pro League Finals Week at The Shrewsbury Club

Beth Grey celebrated climbing to a new career high in the world rankings by securing an opening win at UK Pro League Finals Week.

Grey, now just outside the world’s top 400, was pleased to gain a third set tie break victory over Emily Appleton, winning 6-2, 4-6, 11-9, as the group stages continued on day two of the prestigious event at The Shrewsbury Club.

“Me and Emily always have good matches,” said Grey. “We’ve played each other quite a lot in these events, so it was another good battle between us.

“She was serving well, I was serving well, so it was pretty tight to the end.”

 

Photo: Ian Hall

 

Grey, who reached the quarter-finals of the W60 Nantes tournament in France last week, added:

“I’ve played a lot of matches lately, so I feel like I’m quite match tight which is good, especially when it comes down to the tie breaks. It’s nice to start with a win.”

Looking forward to spending the week playing in Shropshire, Grey said: “They’ve put an amazing event on for the finals and Shrewsbury’s a lovely club. They’ve done a great job once again of putting on another great event for us all to play.

“Hopefully I can do well this week. There’s a lot of good players in the pools, so we’ll see how it goes.”

As for her continued progress up the world rankings, she added: “I’m up to my career high today actually of, I think, 406, so that’s nice.”

 

Having won an exciting third-set tie break the night before, Freya Christie was involved in another close finish, this time losing narrowly 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 against Lily Miyazaki, the highest-ranked player in this week’s women’s event.

Eden Silva enjoyed a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Lauryn John-Baptiste in her opening match of the week, while Katarina Stresnakova also started with a win, beating Eliz Maloney 6-1, 6-2.

Photo: Ian Hall

Jay Clarke, the British number five, was happy to begin his week in Shrewsbury with victory against Giles Hussey. Clarke won the opening set 6-2, Hussey levelled it up by taking the second 7-6, with Clarke a 10-8 winner in the third-set tie break.

Clarke said: “It was good to get the win, especially in the box leagues. Every set counts, not only the match wins, so I’m happy with the win today. It’s the first one of the week, so it’s good.”

Clarke enjoyed his first appearance in the UK Pro League this year after receiving a wild card to compete at Finals Week.

“I’ve watched a lot of the matches, but this is the first one I’ve played,” he said. “It’s really good to see so many Brits playing such a good high level of tennis and I like how they’ve made it so special for us with getting the crowds in.”

Clarke is also pleased to be playing at The Shrewsbury Club again, adding: “I think the first time I was here I was maybe eight or nine years old playing national tours or something, so it’s always nice coming back.”

The group stages of the UK Pro League Finals Week will be completed today, with the day’s opening matches starting at 1pm.

By Stuart Dunn