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3rd February, 2022

Day 5 Recap: Johnson and Brogan secure their places in the semi-finals

Day five saw the completion of the quarter-finals in both draws with Luke Johnson and Anna Brogan securing their places in Friday’s semis.

Remaining men’s top seed Luke Johnson swept past Patrick Foley 6-3, 6-0 securing a break at the first opportunity in both sets and will now play Harry Wendelken in Friday’s semi-final. After his dramatic win against Billy Harris on Wednesday, UK Pro League debutant Brandon Murphy faces Scotland’s Ewan Moore in the other semi-final tie.

In the women’s draw, fellow Scot Anna Brogan’s fine week continued with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Nadia Rawson, returning after winning her two matches the day before for Loughborough University. Brogan raced into a 4-0 lead and although Rawson held a 40-0 advantage in the next two games she was not able to convert either. Brogan then broke again midway through the second set and now plays Denmark’s Sofia Samavati in what promises to be an intriguing semi-final. Elena Malygina and Joanna Garland will battle for the other place in Saturday’s final.

After their respective defeats in yesterday’s quarter finals, men’s top seed Billy Harris and Tom Hands, who having his best week to date, were both looking to bounce back and secure a chance for 5th spot. Harris was forced to dig deep to hold his first service game but having done so he then started to fire, taking the first set 6-2. The second saw further Harris pressure but Hands hung in and at 6-5 up on serve, forced a set point which he duly snaffled to force a match tie-break. Keeping the momentum going, Hands got an early break and though Harris pegged him back, Hands again forced the advantage to take the match 2-6, 7-5, 10-5.

Week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu brushed aside the disappointment of losing her quarter final on Wednesday and defeated Michelle Dzjachangirova 6- 3, 6- 2. She will play off for 5th place against the winner of tomorrows all GB clash between Rawson and Gillan.

Elsewhere, wins for Adam Jones, Jack Gibbens and Andre Lukosiute have put them in a strong position in the play-off battle to decide the 9th to 12th positions for the week and they were joined by 17-year-old Adeola Greatorex securing a well-deserved first UK Pro League win, 6-0 7-5.

The semi-finals for week 2 will start tomorrow from 11am, live on Tennis Channel, BT Sport and ukpl.tv.

 

Full Day 5 results

Luke Johnson bt Patrick Foley 6-3, 6-0

Adam Jones bt Samm Butler 6-1, 1-6, 10-8

Anna Brogan bt Nadia Rawson 6-0, 6-2

Adeola Greatorex bt Maddie Brooks 6-0, 7-5

Tom Hands bt Billy Harris 2-6, 7-5, 10-5

Jack Gibbens bt David Fox 7-5, 7-6(1)

Arina Vasilescu bt Michelle Dzjachangirova 6-3, 6-2

Andre Lukosiute bt Soumeya Anne 6-1, 6-0

2nd February, 2022

Day 4 Recap: The quarter-final stage kicked off in Sheffield

The quarter-final stage kicked off on Wednesday with some glorious matches to decide the first semi-finalists of week 2.

The day kicked off with Brandon Murphy upsetting at the match tie-break UKPL veteran Billy Harris, who couldn’t convert 5 match points. After a balanced first set seeing just one break of serve, the 21-year-old from Sutton really hit the ground running and managed to come back from a set down and hold his nerve and strength to come up on top in the decider.

Murphy, who is at his very first appearance at the UK Pro League, will be joined in the semi-final by Ewan Moore, who defeated Tom Hands 4-6, 6-4, 10-4 in a match that was almost symmetrical to the Murphy-Harris quarter final. 

The Scotsman played his best tennis in the moments that mattered, showing off his skills and perfectly timed passing shots which are not new to the UK Pro League audience.

In the last men’s quarter-final, Harry Wendelken overcame in a straight sets victory to beat Sean Hodkin 7-6(5), 6-2. The 20-year-old was unstoppable, showing such a variety of shots, from forehands, backhands-down-the-line and tremendous dropshots.

 

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Having yet to drop a set this week, Wendelken is definitely looking confident as he goes into his first UK Pro League semi-final. Tomorrow’s clash between Foley and Johnson will determine who’ll be his opponent.

The very first women’s match saw Estonian guest player Elena Malygina storm past week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu, in a contest that was tighter that the scoreboard suggests. In her 6-2, 6-2 victory, Malygina was relentless, switching up her shots and never let Vasilescu get in control of the match. The Estonian will face Joanna Garland in Friday’s semi-final, after the Chinese-Tapei player defeated 6-0 6-0 Michelle Dzjachangirova.

Sofia Samavati came out victorious against Alice Gillan, after a very intense 2 hour match. The 21-year-old from Denmark is now on a 10-match winning streak, following her glorious run at the W25 in Loughborough last week and managed to avoid a match tie-break by winning 3 games in a row at the end of the second set.

The 9th-12th round robin stage also kicked off as there were wins for David Fox, Andre Lukosiute, and Jack Gibbens, who all won comfortably in straight sets.

On Thursday the last two quarter-finals will take place, with Luke Johnson facing Patrick Foley and Anna Brogan taking on Nadia Rawson, 5th-8th playoffs start and the 9th-12th round robin continues as the lower half of the final table will start to take shape!

Live from 11am on Tennis Channel, BT Sport and ukpl.tv.

1st February, 2022

Day 3 recap: last day of pool stages ends with a dramatic contest

The last day of pool stages came to an end with a dramatic contest between week 1 winner Vasilescu and UKPL debutant Lukosiute.

The 24-year-old Romanian defeated Andre Lukosiute 3-6, 6-4, 10-6 to wrap up her pool stage matches with a suffered yet tenacious victory. Lukositue had to win in straight sets to have the opportunity of playing in the quarter-finals, but after a brilliant first set, she missed on a couple of chances in the second and eventually lost to a better Vasilescu 10-6 in the decider.

Another tight women’s game that decided the top spot in Pool B was Garland against Gillan, with the 20-year-old from Chinese-Tapei getting a straight sets win 7-6(4), 6-2. In a match of many twists and turns, Gillan couldn’t convert two set points, letting Garland get the first set only at the tie-break after more than an hour. The second set started with 5 consecutive breaks of serve, but Garland found her good form again and stormed through the remaining games. A strong junior player, Garland reached a career-high ranking of No. 14 on the junior circuit and will look to continue her great form in the quarter-final against Michelle Dzjachangirova.

In the man’s draw, Billy Harris found his strength back after the tough loss yesterday and claimed a straight sets victory over Hodkin, claiming the top spot in Pool A. The highest-ranked player of week 2 will now face Murphy in Wednesday’s quarter-final.

Over on court 2, David Fox missed out on his first UKPL quarter final losing at the match tie-break, after being a set up to Patrick Foley, who earns instead that valuable spot and will face Johnson on Thursday. Moore and Wendelken will also join the race to the semi-finals thanks to their two set wins over respectively Gibbens and Murphy.

For Foley, Hands, Wendelken and Murphy it will be the first appearance at the UKPL quarter-finals.

The first six quarter-finals are on tomorrow from 11am, exclusively on the Tennis Channel, BT Sport Extra and UKPL.tv.
31st January, 2022

Day 2 Recap: a tremendous day in Sheffield.

A tremendous day of tennis at the Graves Health and Sport Centre here in Sheffield, with important wins from Brogan, Jones, Samavati and Vasilescu.

The day started with a rollercoaster of a match, with wildcard Adam Jones getting a brilliant win over the first seed Billy Harris, 5-7, 7-6(4), 11-9.

 

Jones, coming in from a tough loss yesterday against Hodkin, seemed reinvigorated and really put to use his forehands and drop shots to come back after being a set down and push the game to the decider. In a very levelled match tie-break, Jones had an early break 4-0, but could only find and convert his first match point at 10-9. Another tricky start of the week for the Isle of Man star, who is yet to find his prime form at the UKPL this year, but still has a chance to access the quarter-finals by winning tomorrow against Hodkin.


Woman’s Pool A saw Anna Brogan triumph in a very tight match against UKPL debutant Elena Malagina, currently sitting 500 places above her in the WTA rankings. The 24-year-old Scottish player had a shaky start, losing her first serve game, but managed to recover with an aggressive and incredibly precise game to overcome the Estonian 7-5, 6-3 in just over 90 minutes. Brogan took her chances and alternating a great variety of shots she booked her spot in the quarter-finals for the second time at the UKPL.

A different fate for another women’s debutant, Sofia Samavati who won comfortably 6-1, 6-1 against Soumeya Anane and took a provisional top spot in Pool D. The 21-year-old Dutchwoman is definitely one to watch this week, as she comes in favourite after winning her maiden W25 title in Loughborough on Sunday.

Nadia Rawson missed out on her back-to-back pools wins after losing 6-1, 6-3 to Week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu, who has picked up her second UKPL venture with a solid win in straight sets.

In the men’s pools, Luke Johnson and Tom Hands both won in straight sets against Jack Gibbens and David Fox respectively to reserve their place in the quarter-finals.

Last pool’s matches are on tomorrow from 11am on the Tennis Channel, BT Sport Extra and UKPL.tv.

Full Day 2 results:

  • Adam Jones bt Billy Harris 5-7, 7-6(4), 11-9
  • Luke Johnson bt Jack Gibbens 6-2, 6-4
  • Anna Brogan bt Elena Malygina 7-5, 6-3
  • Alice Gillan bt Adeola Greatorex 6-4, 6-4
  • Harry Wendelken bt Sahej Maker, 6-3, 6-2
  • Tom Hands bt David Fox 6-3, 6-0
  •  Arina Vasilescu bt Nadia Rawson 6-1, 6-3
  • Sofia Samavati bt Soumeya Anane 6-1, 6-1
30th January, 2022

Day 1 Recap: Great start for Johnson, Rawson, Hodkin, Hands and Brogan

In what has turned out to be a memorable day for the tennis world with Rafa Nadal winning his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the second week of the UK Pro League 2022 kicked off with 8 pool matches.


In a standout fixture of day 1, Luke Johnson overcame a titanic tussle the Scottish Ewan Moore 7-6(2), 7-5 in a match of very fine margins. The 27-year-old recovered very well from a slow start, after being broken in his very first serve game, and managed to keep the mental composure to take the first set at the tie-break. The second set was as balanced, as Johnson only broke Moore’s serve at 6-5, yet the Leeds player was more precise and played some great shots, including this backhand.

 

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At their debut in the 2022 season, Anna Brogan and Sean Hodkin, started off week 2 with straight set wins to reach the provisional top spots in the men’s and women’s pools A. Sean beat Adam Jones 6-1, 6-3 showing his beautiful one-hand backhands that served him so well last year. Brogan ran out winner in just over an hour over Maddie Brooks 6-3, 6-0.

 

The last match on court 1 saw 2021 UKPL Finalist Nadia Rawson fighting hard for a well-deserved victory against Andre Lukosiute 6-4, 7-5. In a 2-hour battle, Rawson managed to be more accurate than Lukosiute, who was not consistent and had some problems throughout the match with her serve (6 double faults).

The Loughborough alumni will be back on Court 1 tomorrow facing week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu but will surely go into that match with good spirits and full of confidence.

Elsewhere, Tom Hands produced a solid victory over Patrick Foley, beating him in straight sets and coming back in the first set from 3-0 down. In what is a very balanced Pool B, 3 points will prove to be crucial for the Oxford player to reach the UKPL quarter-finals for the very first time.

 

Full Day 1 results:

  • Sean Hodkin bt Adam Jones 6-1, 6-3
  • Brandon Murphy bt Sahej Maker 6-0, 6-3
  • Joanna Garland bt Adeola Greatorex 6-1, 6-3
  • Anna Brogan bt Maddie Brooks 6-3, 6-0
  • Luke Johnson bt Ewan Moore 7-6(2), 7-5
  • Tom Hands bt Patrick Foley 6-4, 6-4
  • Nadia Rawson bt Andre Lukosiute 6-4, 7-5
  • Michelle Dzjachangirova bt Soumeya Anane 6-3, 6(5)-7, 10-8
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.

21st January, 2022

Gray, Vasilescu, Kartal and Peniston progress through the week 1 Finals.

A very mature performance from Alastair Gray denies what would have been Matusevich’s 23rd consecutive win at the UK Pro League.

The 23-year-old TCU alumni took charge early in the first set to break the 2021 UKPL Champion at 3-1 and didn’t lose his focus holding all his service games. The second set mirrored the first, with a solid, consistent, and dependable Gray who broke Matusevich twice and progressed to his second UKPL final in just under an hour, winning 6-2, 6-1 with an incredible 83% of first serve points won and 8 aces.

On the women’s side, Vasilescu managed a tremendous fight back against Katie Stresnakova and reached the final of week 1 in her UKPL debut winning 2-6, 6-3, 10-6.

Stresnakova was very clinical in the first set, not letting anything pass Vasilescu, who only earnt her first break point early in the second set. After breaking Stresnakova twice to get the second set, an early lead in the match tie-break didn’t worry Vasilescu, who managed with incredible grit to find her best tennis when she needed it most. Her determination paid off as she completed an outstanding come back and heading into the final.

Vasilescu will face the UK 2021 Champion Sonay Kartal in tomorrow’s showdown, who has earnt her spot after a tremendous battle with JET Academy player Eliz Maloney.

The two former UKPL weekly winners, faced each other in a match of long rallies with Kartal coming through victorious and now competing in her fifth UKPL Final. After a first set of very fine margins that could have gone either way, the 19-year-old showed a different gear in the second set, pushing the contest to a set tie-break. Maloney did secure an early break to go up 4-2, but Kartal flipped the switch and once again brought the power-led attacking display she is capable of to win 12-10.

Kartal and Vasilescu previously met in the week, with Kartal beating the guest player 6-2, 6-1.

The last semi-final of the day saw the highest-ranked player in the draw, Ryan Peniston, win 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 against Aidan McHugh.

The 26-year-old took his time to warm into the game, losing the first set to a very focused McHugh. Some frustration from McHugh in that looked like he had the match in control with a set and break up in the second set, wasn’t quite able to extend his advantage and Peniston gradually start to find his way back into the match. Peniston then clinched his comeback with an excellent shot down the line to break at 4-4 and by holding serve in the next game. In the decider, Peniston kept his calm and with the help of a couple of forced errors from McHugh, bagged his second UKPL final since 2020.

Peniston will join Gray in the UKPL week 1 final, which will be their second encounter at the UKPL after facing each other in the second week of the 2020 event, where Gray stormed pass Peniston 6-4, 6-2.

19th January, 2022

2021 UKPL Champions Matusevich and Kartal stormed through to the semi-finals, joined by great wins from Vasilescu, Peniston, McHugh, Stresnakova and Maloney.

Day 4 of week 1 saw the quarter-final stages kick off with all 24 players taking part in today’s action.

To start the day, 2021 UKPL Champion Matusevich imposed his fearless game on Johnson, booking his spot in the semi-finals in just over an hour. Matusevich, who suffered of some shoulder pain during the match, managed to break very early in both sets, showcasing some great passing shots and his brutal forehands. On Court 2, Gray won comfortably in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 against 20-year-old Weightman, who lost the accuracy and grit he showed in the pool stages. Gray will face the UKPL 2021 Champion in what is set to be a very tough contest.

The top ranked player in the men’s draw Ryan Peniston could only beat Mark Whitehouse at the decider, after a match dominated by the Surrey player. Peniston, who is currently ranked 267 in the World advances to his second UKPL semi-final after the 2020 Finals Week, winning a strenuous match from a set and a break down and not losing focus in the moments that mattered. Peniston will face Aidan McHugh, who chalked up his very first semi-final at the UK Pro League beating 2021 Finalist Henry Patten 6(5)-7, 6-3, 10-4. After nearly two hours of match time, the Scottish player concluded a memorable comeback, portraying an all-court tennis game here at The NTC.

 

On the women’s side, the top seed Eden Silva lost 7-5, 7-6(10) to Arina Vasilescu in one of the most intense 2 setters of the week. Vasilescu inched past Silva in a 1hr 39min tussle, where she almost failed to convert 8 match points but yet managed to block Silva’s attempt to come back in the second set. Joining her in the semi-final will be Katie Stresnakova who overcame Joanna Garland 6-4, 1-6, 10-4 after a thrilling match tie-break. Stresnakova showed great mental strength and a great ability to switch up her shots after Garland managed to edge her way back in contention in the second set.

Sonay Kartal safely cleared her quarter final beating the determined Millie Bissett. In the 6-2, 6-1 result Kartal was flawless, finding all the corners of the court and hitting some unbelievable passing shots. The 19-year-old has yet to drop a set this week and has looked unstoppable as she progresses to the semi-final stage where she will face Eliz Maloney, who won a gruelling 2h12 battle against Freya Christie 7-6(6), 6-3.

The 9th-12th round robin stage also kicked off as there were wins for Danielle Daley, Lauryn John-Baptiste, Ben Jones and Billy Harris, who won a good match against Paris, vindicating the loss in the UKPL2021 Week 1 Final.

18th January, 2022

Pools decided as Maloney, Whitehouse, McHugh and Stresnakova win | UKPLWK1, day 3

On a pivotal day 3 in the first week of the 2022 UK Pro League all 8 pool winners were decided as wins for McHugh, Maloney, Whitehouse and Stresnakova ensured they topped their groups.

Eliz Maloney, who played her first W25K final on Sunday, produced an amazing performance against Garland, defeating her 6-1, 6-3 and grabbing the top spot in pool B.

The 21-year-old in brilliant form imposed her solid game with a composed win over Garland, currently ranked almost 400 places higher than her. After a one-way first set, Garland showed more of her game in the second, yet failed to convert a break point at 4-2 that could have turned the match around.

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After a late win against Ryan Peniston, Alastair Gray managed to score two out of two in his pool stages by defeating Josh Paris 7-6(7), 7-5. Gray, who competed in the inaugural UK Pro Series in 2020, has set up a quarter-final showdown against Weightman. The 20-year-old, Weightman, lost at the championship tie-break against Whitehouse, in a match of many twists and turns. Whitehouse edged it 10-7 in the decider, showing a big variety of shots, including an incredible Murray-esque lob.

 

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The final match on Court 1 saw Stresnakova and Christie fighting over the top position in pool D, with Stresnakova overcoming Christie in a fascinating duel that went to a third set tiebreak. Christie, who came a set and 3 games down to force the match to the decider, couldn’t complete her brilliant comeback and will now face Maloney in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, McHugh won comfortably against Hussey 6-4 6-4 who has now withdrawn from the tournament due to injury and Vasilescu beat 17-year-old Greatorex 6-2, 7-5, in a game that saw Vasilescu’s experience win over Greatorex in the end. There were also wins for Eden Silva and Henry Patten who both progress to the quarter-finals and will face Arina Vasilescu and Aidan McHugh respectively.

Full Day 3 results

  • Aidan McHugh vs Giles Hussey 6-4, 6-4
  • Alastair Gray vs Josh Paris 7-6₍₇₎, 7-5
  • Eliz Maloney vs Joanna Garland 6-1, 6-3
  • Arina Vasilescu vs Adeola Greatorex 6-1, 7-5
  • Mark Whitehouse vs Oscar Weightman 6-1, 3-6, 10-7
  • Henry Patten vs David Fox 6-2, 6-4
  • Eden Silva vs Lauryn John-Baptiste 6-2, 6-2
  • Katie Stresnakova vs Freya Christie 6-1, 4-6, 10-7

Quarter-final matches

  1. Matusevich vs Johnson
  2. Gray vs Weightman
  3. Bissett vs Kartal
  4. Silva vs Vasilescu
  5. Peniston vs Whitehouse
  6. Patten vs McHugh
  7. Christie vs Maloney
  8. Stresnakova vs Garland
17th November, 2021

Anton Matusevich wins UK Pro League title

Anton Matusevich admits practice made perfect after waltzing to the UK Pro League title without dropping a set.

Photo: Ian Hall

Sevenoaks star Matusevich, 20, breezed past Henry Patten 6-2, 6-4 in Sunday’s men’s final to solidify his reputation as one of British tennis’ hottest young prospects.

The world No.422 racked up a stunning first serve win percentage of 93 per cent to blow away Patten – ranked over 300 places below him – in the Shrewsbury Club showpiece.

Matusevich has been striving to improve his service games back home and reckons focussing on his all-important ‘third ball’ held the key to his dominance.

Matusevich, who did not drop a set in Finals Week and claimed a lucrative £15,000 prize pot for clinching the crown, said:

“I’m very pleased with that, as that second set was getting heated.

“Me and my coaches back at home have worked a lot on my third ball – the shot after the serve. My serve is not like Nick Kyrgios and I don’t really hit too many aces, but it’s the shot behind it that’s very important.

“We’ve worked a lot on that in the past – and it’s proven to be very key here.
“I didn’t want to be on the court [in the second set] and he was hitting some really good shots. I’m just happy to get through it as I got quite lucky at 4-4.

“I just wanted to get some matches in this week and really improve my game – you’re guaranteed five matches win or lose, and I’m very happy to come out on top.
“Tennis is a very expensive sport with the travelling – so I’d like to say a very big thanks to everyone here. The crowd were really good today – and that was very nice on a Sunday.”

Nine individual qualifying weeks culminated in the eagerly-anticipated UK Pro League Finals Week, where the highest-ranked stars descended on Shropshire to duel it out for the men’s and women’s trophies.

And as the Premier League of British tennis – and the only domestic competition for the country’s top professionals – with over half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, all the action was broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv, with Finals Week also broadcast live on free to air channel FreeSports (Freeview Channel 64 / Sky Channel 422 / Virgin Channel 553 / BT TV Channel 64 / TalkTalk Channel 64).
Week 2 and 3 winner Matusevich did not lose a match in the format since the Week 1 semi-finals and outlined his superiority in style on Sunday.

After beating Giles Hussey in straight sets in Saturday’s semi-final, he carried on where he left off by swatting aside Patten in rapid time to take the first set.

And despite a valiant Patten rally, the Suffolk ace was unable to turn the tables as Matusevich held his nerve to cruise over the line.

Photo: Ian Hall

Patten was crowned Week 4 winner of the UK Pro League and says the format can lay the foundations for a successful stint on the international tour.

The 25-year-old, who toppled former Wimbledon star Dan Cox in his semi-final, said:

“It’s been a successful week.
“I’ve really enjoyed every second of it and every week I’ve played – I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team who put these events on.
“All the players love them – it’s an amazing opportunity for us and helps us fund our careers, so it’s amazing.

“Anton is pretty good. I knew that going into it and that I’d have to play at my best to have a chance. I didn’t quite do that, but he played a fantastic match.
“I’ll go home for a few days then get back to training, before travelling to Greece in a couple of weeks – which I’m looking forward to.”

With a prize fund of around £500k and Broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv, the UK Pro League is the only place where the British player group come together to compete across the full year.