British Tennis - Lawn Tennis Association

18 year old Heather Watson has won the AEGON Player of the Month award for February. The British No.3 reached the quarter-finals of the WTA event in Memphis, achieved a career high WTA ranking of 130 and made a successful debut as part of the AEGON GB Fed Cup Team.

It has been an excellent last few months for Heather. At the end of February she competed in the $220k WTA International Cellular South Cup in Memphis, TN, USA, where she won through two rounds in qualifying including a win over Michelle Larcher De Brito, and then went on to win a further two rounds in the main draw against Hlavackova and Foretz-Gacon.

Watson's main draw victories came against a top 100 player and then a player ranked 150 who had beaten Watson the week previously at the $100k ITF event in Midland. 

Review the British performances in Memphis

The performance in Tennessee shot Heather up to world No.130, her career high ranking, which she has since stayed close to, currently at world No.132.

Preceding her tournament successes in USA Watson had made her debut as part of the AEGON GB Fed Cup Team where she won two out of her three singles matches and two out of two doubles matches.

In the singles she defeated Karen Barbat of Denmark and Silvia Njiric of Croatia, losing only to Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland, the world No.46.

In the doubles, partnering Jocelyn Rae, they were undefeated, beating both Switzerland, where she gained her revenge over Bacsinszky (& Sadikovic), and a crucial win over a Denmark team which included world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki (& Mai Grage).

Review the Fed Cup

Watson will now go into March at close to her highest ever world ranking and will compete in qualifying at the $4.5m WTA Premier event in Indian Wells, California.

Follow Heather Watson on Twitter @MizWatson92

Heather Watson profile page