Lexus Ilkley Open: Katie Swan beats qualifier to book spot in second round
• 2 minute read
Katie Swan looked at home on the grass as she came through in straight sets against Czech qualifier Tereza Martincova.
The Brit didn’t drop a break of serve as she defeated Martincova 7-5, 6-2 in an hour and 40 minutes in her opening match at the Lexus Ilkley Open.
Swan brings grass court experience with her into the tournament having finished runner-up at W100 tournament in Surbiton in 2023 as well as kicking off her 2026 season with a second round appearance at the Lexus Birmingham Open.
A tough next round awaits her, as she’s set to face top seed Viktorija Golubic after the Swiss star defeated fellow Brit Daniella Britton in straight sets on Monday.
The rain delays pushed back first-round matches in Ilkley, so the 27-year-old was happy to get her campaign underway and to kick it off with a win.
“It was a very long couple of days for us, waiting to see if we’d play yesterday and waiting to see what was going to happen today, so I’m really happy that I managed to stay focused and play a solid match. I was pretty happy with my performance overall.”
“I try and distract myself a little bit”, she said when asked how she handles the delays. “You don’t want to be too into the match too early in the day so I’ve been playing a lot of cards with my friends and team, just trying to switch off.
The Brit, who’s picked up six ITF titles since returning from injury in 2025, kicked off her tournament with a solid performance against the qualifier.
The opening set was a tight contest, with the 27-year-old missing two break point chances as the scoreline remained level.
It wasn’t until the two were sat at 5-5 that the Brit found the decisive breakthrough before rattling off the final game to love to take the first set.
Two lengthy games kicked off the second set, but it was Swan who came out on top - picking up the break at the fourth time of asking before saving five chances on her own serve.
The British No.6 was hunting down the double break - eventually finding it in the penultimate game, before racing to the finish line while the sun was still in the sky.
Another simple hold to love did it for the Brit, and she booked her place in the second round.
Elsewhere today, Mimi Xu missed out in her opening match - the young Brit bagged the opening set before bowing out 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to America's Elizabeth Mandlik.
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