9th October, 2023

Patrick Brady and Elena Malygina are the UKPL 2023 Champions

After 8 weeks, 480 matches with over 100 players, the sun sets on a 4th year of UK Pro League. The 2023 Finals Week was hosted last week at the National Tennis Centre, culminating in two dramatic Finals and the crowning of the 2023 Champions: Patrick Brady and Elena Malygina.

Malygina becomes the first two-time UKPL Champion

2023 Champion Elena Malygina (left) with runner-up Alice Gillan (right)

Defending Champion Elena Malygina was on track all week to successfully defend her title. She came top of her pool, won her quarter-final against Arina Vasilescu 6-0, 6-4 and dropped her only set of the week in her semi-final against Andre Lukosiute, which she won 6-4, 4-6, 10-7. Alice Gillan may currently be a few hundred places below Malygina in the WTA ranks (Malygina currently WTA 334), but she beat both Eliz Maloney (WTA 541) and Katie Stresnakova (WTA 537) in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, proving she was playing at a standard capable of taking on those much higher ranked. The main concern one may have had for Gillan starting the final was her energy levels after playing significantly lengthy matches during the week. Her semi-final against Stresnakova the previous day broke the record for the longest UKPL match ever- Gillan claiming the win 7-5, 6(4), 10-8 in exactly 3 hours. And yet, Gillan showed no sign of low energy at the start of the match. The two women were toe-to-toe throughout most of the first set. Malygina just managed to get the upper hand with a break of serve to go 4-3 up, and won the set 6-4. She then started to stretch out her lead, winning the first three games of the second set.

Gillan did start to come back, evening the score in the second set at 4-4. However, when Malygina got a break of serve for 4-5, it left the defending Champion serving for the set. The first championship point arrived at 15-40 in the subsequent game. You would be forgiven for assuming the match was about to wrap up at this point- but you’d be mistaken. Gillan remained staggeringly calm against an understandably increasingly frustrated Malygina over the next 35 minutes, as she repeatedly blocked Malygina from the win.

First, Gillan managed to save two match points to break for 5-5. Undeterred, Malygina broke back for 6-5- another chance for her to snatch the win. But five more match points were saved by Gillan in the next game before she managed another break of serve to trigger a set tiebreak. Gillan initially led the tiebreak 3-0, but it was Malygina’s turn to collect herself and fight back. She evened the score at 4-4 and then pulled ahead. Gillan saved an astonishing eighth championship point before Malygina, finally, after 2 hours 30 minutes, got her win. 6-4, 7-6(5). Elena Malygina and Alice Gillan provided spectators with a Final that will no doubt go down in UKPL history. A valiant effort from Gillan was enough to delay, but not prevent, Malygina from getting her deserved second title. The £7500 runner-up prize should hopefully provide some consolation for the Brit, but it is Elena Malygina who scoops up another golden pineapple. A huge congratulations to her.

 

Patrick Brady becomes the first teenager to take the Men’s title

2023 Champion Patrick Brady (left) with runner-up Giles Hussey (right)

There was no time to recover from the excitement of the women’s final before Patrick Brady and Giles Hussey were on court ready for the Men’s. It was only Brady’s second ever UKPL Week, and yet, his second final. His win on his debut in Week 7 scored him enough points to qualify for the finals, and it was going to be interesting to see how he’d fare against other top UKPL players. He rose to the challenge, defeating former UKPL Week Winners Hamish Stewart and George Houghton to win his pool and soaring through the quarter-finals and semi-finals with straight-set wins. However, Hussey was sure to be his toughest opponent yet– 8 years his senior and sitting nearly 400 places above him in the ATP rankings, Hussey had not dropped a set all week.

Brady seemed unperturbed by these facts, however, swiftly getting the upper hand in the first set by securing an early break for 2-0. He led the way the rest of the first set; a second break of serve from Brady left Hussey trailing 5-1 at one point, and Brady went on to win the set 6-3. Both men were pulling out all the shots, it was a match packed full of incredible points to the delight of the growing crowd. The second set had a similar tale to the first; despite his best efforts, Hussey just wasn’t able to stop Brady from winning the first 4 games. A last-minute break from Hussey came too late, and Brady wrapped it up 6-3, 6-3. A beyond impressive showcase from the youngster, and his name now joins the likes of Liam Broady, Anton Matusevich, and Kyle Edmund on the golden pineapple trophy. An exciting prospect for British tennis – congratulations Patrick!

Andre Lukosiute and Harry Wendelken take 3rd 

Andre Lukosiute

Wildcards Andre Lukosiute and Harry Wendelken won their respective 3-4th playoffs to take bronze, with Katie Stresnakova and Oscar Weightman landing in 4th. See all results from the week here. 

All matches are available to rewatch at www.ukproleague.tv

8th August, 2023

UKPL 2023 so far…

All seven of this year’s qualifying weeks are now complete, and we’re less than two months out from the 2023 Finals Week- let’s take a look back at some of the best moments of the season so far.

New faces make waves and proven Champions showcase their prowess

UK Pro League 2023 has welcomed many new players, and it’s always exciting to watch a new player turn up and win the competition in their debut week. Four players achieved this feat in 2023: Hamish Stewart (Week 2), Louis Bowden (Week 4), Patrick Brady (Week 7) and Isabelle Lacy (Week 7).  But of course, it isn’t all about the newest members of the UKPL squad. Anton Matusevich (2021 UKPL Champion) reminded everyone what he is capable of by winning the first week of the year. Elena Malygina (2022 UKPL Champion) picked up 2nd place in the same week, before winning week 2. Dan Cox, the 2022 UKPL runner-up also achieved 2nd place in week 3.

UKPL 2022 Champion Elena Malygina continued her impressive run into 2023, picking up 2nd place in Week 1 and 1st place in Week 2

Hard work pays off

Four of the thirteen week winners this year were competing in their first UKPL Season, but for others, taking home the winner’s trophy was perhaps even sweeter because of the journey to get there. Week 1 saw Katie Stresnakova finally win a week after previously reaching an impressive 4 finals. She only narrowly missed out on another win in week 5, when she lost in the final to Katy Dunne. Dunne was also pleased to have won a UKPL week at last; her previous best was a 2nd place in 2022.

Katy Dunne (left) and Katie Stresnakova (right) both picked up their first UKPL Week Wins this year

Fans of the competition would have been pleased to see Danielle Daley win her first week in February of this year, as she’s been a regular player at UKPL since 2020. It was a moment made especially memorable by being in front of a home crowd at Gosling Tennis Centre. A similar tale unfolded the following UKPL Week in Southampton; Emma Wilson, who was runner-up to Daley the previous week, got a similarly satisfying win, on her third occasion reaching a UKPL Final.

The future is in good hands

There were numerous impressive performances from players 18 and under this year. 18-year-old Kate Mansfield reached two finals this year, on both indoor hard courts in Week 4 and during our first-ever grass event in Felixstowe. Consistently improving with every event, it likely won’t be long before she claims her first win. She qualifies for her first Finals Week second in the league ranking table, and as the youngest woman. Kate was runner-up at Felixstowe to Isabelle Lacy, the 16-year-old who burst onto the UK Pro League scene at the start of an impressive grass season for the current 18U Junior National Champion. Felixstowe was Lacy’s first UK Pro League, but she didn’t come to mess around. Not losing a match all week, and winning the finals without being broken once, Lacy proved she was not to be overlooked because of her age. The 5 matches on the Felixstowe grass courts seemingly warmed Lacy up nicely for the rest of her grass season. A week later, Lacy had progressed through qualifying into the Surbiton Trophy main draw where she won her first round match against world no. 95 Maddison Brengle. If that wasn’t exciting enough, later that month she competed at Wimbledon, where she and her doubles partner Hannah Klugman came runners-up in the Junior Wimbledon Girl’s doubles.

Isabelle Lacy won the UKPL’s first-ever grass event in June

We can’t mention Wimbledon without talking about Henry Searle’s sensational win in the Boy’s singles event. Henry impressed everyone with his performance in Week 1 of the 2023 UK Pro League, where he came 3rd, and in July he became the first British Boy’s singles champion for 61 years. What an achievement for the 17-year-old.

And, of course, sitting at the top of the Men’s League ranking table is 18-year-old Louis Bowden. Bowden won Week 4 on his debut before picking up 4th place the following week and another win in Week 6. He used his wildcard prize from winning UKPL Week 4 to compete in the main draw of a Nottingham 25k in April, where a win in the first round handed him his first ATP points. He now sits at 1600 in the ATP rankings and has headed to Baylor University in the US, so keep an eye out for what he achieves in the US college tennis circuit.

Other youngsters showing prowess at the UK Pro League this year include 18-year-old Patrick Brady, who also secured the Week win on his debut at our grass event in Felixstowe, and 18-year-old Jaquelyn Ogunwale who collected 3rd,4th and 5th places this year.

 

It’s been a fantastic season so far and you can watch every match over at UKPL.TV.  We’ll keep bringing you all the news in the run-up to Finals week, which kicks off October 2nd…who do you think will be crowned 2024 Champion?  

 

3rd July, 2023

Stars of UKPL to compete at Wimbledon

Wimbledon 2023 kicks off today and many of the British players competing across the singles and doubles events have participated in the UK Pro League. Two former UK Pro League Champions have secured a place in the singles main draw: our 2020 Champion Liam Broady faces France’s Constant Lestienne in the first round today, and 2021 Champion Sonay Kartal will face USA’s Madison Keys in her first-round match tomorrow.

2021 Champion Sonay Kartal

British no.2 Jodie Burrage and Ryan Peniston, both runners-up in the 2020 finals week, face Caty Mcnally and Andy Murray respectively. Burrage will also be teaming up with Emily Appleton, who has 4 UKPL week wins under her belt, in the doubles event. Harriet Dart and Jan Choinski also compete in their first-round matches today and Arthur Fery- winner of the first-ever UKPL Week- faces the 2021 US Open Champion Daniil Medvedev tomorrow.

Jodie Burrage, runner-up UKPL 2020

George Loffhagen makes his Wimbledon Debut

George Loffhagen makes his debut at Wimbledon tomorrow playing World no. 6 Holger Rune. The 22-year-old received a wildcard into the main draw following an outstanding start to the year which saw him win the first two singles titles of his career, at the Mysuru and Nottingham M25s. Earlier this month, he showed his potential on grass by reaching the quarter-finals of the Rothesay Open. George played his first UK Pro League in November 2022, a few months after he’d returned from a year-long break from playing professionally. With an ATP ranking of 1373 he charged through the week to claim the win, proving his ranking was not reflective of his ability. Fast forward to his next UK Pro League Week Win, in February of this year, Loffhagen had risen nearly 700 places in the rankings. Now sitting at 371 in the ATP ranks, and British no. 9, his rise has been meteoric and his debut at the All England Club is well deserved.

George Loffhagen

More familiar faces pop up in the doubles draw including UKPL Week Winners Maia Lumsden and Julian Cash, as well as Johannus Monday, who kicked his grass season off at the UKPL Week 7 in Felixstowe last month. You may have watched several more UK Pro League players battling in the tough qualifying rounds, a special shout out to Billy Harris and Anna Brogan, who progressed through an impressive 4 rounds, but unfortunately lost their final matches.

17th May, 2023

Week 6 Winners: A dramatic comeback from Maloney and masterful second title for Bowden

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

12th May, 2023

Week 6: mid-week round-up

We’re back once again at Aldershot Tennis Centre for Week 6 and the competition is heating up!

Eliz Maloney is through the semi-finals without dropping a set all week, defeating Michelle Dzjachangirova in the quarter-finals 6-2, 6-1. Eliz is a 3-time Week Winner of the UKPL but is still yet to reach a final this year. Only Jaquelyn Ogunwale, who plays her in the semi-finals today, stands in her way of doing so this week. Ogunwale, the 18-year-old whose previous best result in the UKPL was a 4th place in week 3, is also yet to drop a set all week.

Top seed Eliz Maloney is through to the semi-finals.

Danielle Daley, despite being a good friend of Maloney’s off-court, may be one of her strongest competitors for the win. Daley also achieved straight-set wins in her pool as well as in her quarter-final against Alessia Popescu (6-4, 6-2). Daley won the Pro League for the first time in Week 3 of this year and will face Kate Mansfield, runner-up in Week 4, in the semi-finals.

Kate Mansfield is one of two 18-year-olds in this week’s semi-finals, alongside Jaquelyn Ogunwale

In the Men’s competition, Week 4 winner Louis Bowden knocked out Joe Tyler in the quarter-finals in a dominant 6-0, 6-2. Bowden received his first ATP ranking points this week, as a result of using his wildcard (a prize from winning a UKPL Week) at a recent Nottingham 25k, winning in the first round. He will surely be keen to get his hands on another wildcard by winning this week and faces Ivan Denisov in the semi-finals.

Ryan Storrie, in his first full week at the UK Pro League, is having an impressive run. He is through to the semi-finals after ending George Houghton’s hope of a second Week Win 6-4, 7-6(4) in the quarter-finals. Impressive from Storrie as Houghton sits 500 places above him in the ATP ranks. However, he will have his toughest challenge yet this week in the semi-finals, where he plays top seed Oscar Weightman, who is almost 1000 places above him in the ATP rankings.

Top seed Oscar Weightman is still in the running for the win

 

Tune in today to watch all the semi-finals or catch up with any action you’ve missed so far at www.ukproleague.tv

19th April, 2023

Giles Hussey and Katy Dunne win Week 5

What a week of tennis we were just treated to! With so many of the UK Pro League’s top players competing, it was always going to be a tough fight to claim the trophy. Congratulations to Katy Dunne, who achieved her first ever UKPL Week Win, and Giles Hussey, who won his second.

By the time we reached the semi finals, 6 of the 8 players still in the running were previous Week Winners of the UK Pro League. In the men’s semi finals, Josh Goodger’s bid for a maiden Week Win was cut short by top seed Giles Hussey. In the other, Week 2 Winner Hamish Stewart triumphed over Week 4 winner Louis Bowden. (Both matches are worth a rewatch on UKPL.TV )

It was time for the Final: Stewart, a relative newcomer to the UKPL who had won week 2 on his debut in February, vs Hussey, top seed (some 600 places above Stewart in ATP rankings) and who last won a week back in 2021. The match commenced with some close opening games, the score returning to deuce numerous times. Stewart broke Hussey’s serve in the opening game and then held serve to secure the early lead. Hussey managed to break back to level the set at 2-2. The match was emerging into one characterised by long, difficult rallies, the 6’3 Stewart and 6’1 Hussey managing to reach ever further to keep the ball in play.

Giles Hussey

By 6-5 (Hussey leading), both players had broken each other once more again. Hussey secured a break point, with the first set at his fingertips, but it was saved by Stewart, who went on to take the game evening to score to 6-6. This triggered a set tiebreak which was won by Hussey 7-3.

By the second set Stewart was hampered by a foot injury and seemed to have lost some steam. Hussey won the first 4 games and Stewart never managed to break back. Hussey served out the match to win 7-6(3), 6-2 securing his second UKPL title.

Hussey said after the match:

“i thought it was a good battle

I’m very happy (to have won a second UKPL title), and when I was on court I was thinking to myself that I’ve got exactly what I wanted to get out of this week, which is playing the right way and getting a lot of matches under my belt”

Runner-up Hamish Stewart (left)  with Winner Giles Hussey (right)

Katarina (Katie) Stresnakova, winner of Week 1 beat Alice Gillan in straight sets in the Women’s semi finals. Meanwhile Katy Dunne beat top seed Eliz Maloney in a match that went to tiebreak 6-2, 1-6, 10-5. And so the final: Katy vs Katie, we expected some great tennis and the match more than delivered.

Stresnakova started out well; she had a break point in the very first game, but failed to convert it, and her first service game contained multiple perfectly placed shots down the line both forehand and backhand, showcasing what she was capable of. However, Dunne could match her, pulling off similar shots, and both women held serve for the first 4 games. Stresnakova got the first break of serve for 3-2, but Dunne immediately broke back. Dunne then held her next service game before breaking Stresnakova’s serve again for 5-3. However, Stresnakova immediately broke back. One final break of serve handed Katy Dunne the first set 6-4.

Katy Dunne 

The breaks continued into the second set; Stresnakova broke Dunne’s serve in the opening game and Dunne’s break back at 2-2 was cancelled out by another immediate break from Stresnakova. Stresnakova saved 4 break points to win her next service game and retain the lead. However this was the final time Stresnakova would be able to hold the Brit back. Dunne got the next break of serve for 4-4, served out the next game to love, and then broke Strenakova’s serve one final time to win 6-4, 6-4. Not a straight forward match, requiring both skill and resilience to claim the win in straight sets. What a way to win your first UKPL title; Dunne beat 3 previous week winners on the journey to the trophy. We caught up with her after the match:

“It was a very good level I think. Both me and Katie were going at each other- it was tight and I had to concentrate pretty hard because I feel like she could have turned it quite quickly ”

“I’m very pleased to have won, because I came into this week having not really played any matches for a while and I feel like I’ve got better each match I’ve played.”

Winner Katy Dunne (left) with runner-up Katie Stresnakova (right)

Both our winners will be heading up to Nottingham next to compete in the three successive 25k ITF events.

You can see all this week’s results in full here and rewatch all matches at UKPL.TV

12th April, 2023

Week 5 pool stage recap: 9 UKPL Week Winners compete in Aldershot

After a month’s break, the UK Pro League returned on Easter Sunday to Aldershot Tennis Centre. In a week packed with no less than 9 players who already have a UKPL week win under their belts, there’s plenty of exciting matches and unpredictable results. It’s not easy to guess who will be lifting those trophies on Saturday.

Now three days into Week 5, the pool stages have wrapped up, lets take a look at which players have impressed so far ahead of the quarterfinals.

Top seed Eliz Maloney soars through to the quarters without a hitch, beating Michelle Dzjachangirova and Elina Popescu to come top of her pool. She faces Alessia Popescu in the quarterfinals, who is competing in her first UKPL week. Men’s top seed Giles Hussey faces third seed Dan Little in his quarterfinal nb 14:30 today in another match you won’t want to miss.

Danielle Daley, winner of Week 3, also makes it through and will face Week 1 winner Katie Stresnakova. With both women securing their first UKPL wins in the past few months, it will be interesting to see who triumphs there.



Danielle Daley will play Katie Stresnakova in the quarterfinals, both women competing for the first time since their maiden week wins earlier this year.

We have some more battles between past winners on the Men’s side- Brandon Murphy faces Hamish Stewart nb 14:30, Stewart returning to compete for the first time since winning Week 2 on his debut in February. Similar to Stewart, Louis Bowden is also returning after taking the win last UKPL week, also on his debut. The 19 year old has also made it through to the quarterfinals, but will not have an easy match against Harry Wendelken today, the recent Tolouse M25 runner up.

Week 4 winner Louis Bowden advances through to the quarterfinals

Some players, such as Joshua Goodger, are still in the running for their first win. Goodger has impressed so far this week with straight-set wins against George Houghton and Louis Bowden. He plays Sean Hodkin in the second match on Court 1.

Tune in today to watch all the quarterfinals or catch up with any action you’ve missed so far at www.ukproleague.tv

14th March, 2023

A debut win for Louis Bowden and Emma Wilson triumphs at last

The UK Pro League headed down to David Lloyds Southampton last week, a brand new venue for the competition. We also met several new UKPL players- one of whom, 18-year-old Louis Bowden, walked away with the title. In the women’s competition Emma Wilson got her first win after previously reaching two Finals.

Brandon Murphy

 

Local boy Louis Bowden, 88 in the ITF junior rankings, breezed through his first 4 matches of the Week, not dropping a set. However it was a similar story for the other Men’s finalist Brandon Murphy. As Murphy had previously won 2 UKPL Weeks and was top seed in this week’s draw, he was likely the favourite for the win in many people’s eyes.

It was up to Bowden to prove them wrong and, by the end of the first set, it was clear to everyone he was capable of the win. Bowden got the only break of serve in the first set for 2-1, which lead to a 6-4 win of the set. The match felt very close, with most points lost by small margins. Bowden broke Murphy’s serve in the opening game of the second set. However Murphy immediately broke back, and won his following service game without dropping a point to put himself ahead for the first time in the match. He then broke Bowden’s serve twice more to win the set 6-2.

Although an already impressive feat to take a set of Murphy in the Final, Bowden was not done. He lead from the start of the tiebreak, keeping calm and leaving the errors to Murphy, whose forehands found the net a few times. Bowden struggled on occasion to return Murphy’s serve, but it didn’t hand Murphy enough to points to catch up. A final overzealous shot from Murphy landed just beyond the baseline to hand Bowden the tiebreak win in a spectacular 10-3. The final score: 6-4, 2-6, 10-3.

Louis Bowden

 

Congratulations to Louis Bowden, who joins the handful of players that have achieved the win on their debut. This actually includes this week’s runner-up Brandon Murphy, who won back to back weeks on his debut in early 2022.

Emma Wilson has had a fantastic couple of Weeks. Not perturbed by narrowly missing out on her first UKPL Week Win last week to Danielle Daley, she returned for Week 4 fighting. Her only set lost in the run up to the Final was in the pool stage against 18-year-old Kate Mansfield, where Wilson won 6-2, 1-6, 10-6. However, Mansfield had proceeded to come second in the pool, won her Quarter Final and beat top seed Alice Gillan in straight sets in the Semi Final. She arrived opposite Wilson in the Final, seeking a rematch.

In a purposeful start, Wilson got the early break for 2-1 and won her next service game without dropping a point. However, Mansfield broke back to even the score at 3-3. The match was close, with many games reaching deuce, and the set stayed with serve until 6-6, triggering a set tiebreak. Wilson just got the better of Mansfield in the close tiebreak to win the set 7-6(5).

Kate Mansfield

 

The match sped up in the second set, with the games becoming less close. Wilson broke Mansfield’s serve early to go 2-0 up. Mansfield broke back for 3-4 and saved a break point in the following game to even the score at 4-4. Perhaps fearing another tiebreak situation, Wilson pulled out all the stops, winning her next service game without dropping a point and then breaking Mansfield a final time to win the set 6-4. The Final Score: 7-6(5), 6-4.

A big congratulations to Emma Wilson, her third UKPL Final but her first win, very well deserved.

Emma WIlson

 

See all results from the week here and watch all matches live and on demand at ukproleague.tv