China’s Zhang Shuai claims Lexus British Pro Series Nottingham singles title as Brits celebrate doubles success
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China’s Zhang Shuai rounded off a dominant week by defeating France’s Harmony Tan 6-4 6-2 to claim the Lexus British Pro Series Nottingham singles title on Sunday.
A rain-affected final saw the players have to move indoors, but that didn’t throw off number one seed Shuai, who had not dropped a set all week at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre.
The former Wimbledon and Australian Open singles quarter finalist showed her pedigree against France’s Tan - who sat more than 200 rankings places below her opponent - to eventually wrap up the title, 6-4, 6-2.
Speaking after her win, Shuai said, “I feel super happy, it’s been a few years since I played ITF events, but I can learn from each different opponent. I came here to try and get more points and build my singles ranking, but for sure I will come back next year!"
In the doubles, the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre played host to an all-British final as the top two seeded pairs - Naiktha Bains and Holly Hutchinson and Amelia Rajecki and Victoria Allen - faced each other.
Second seeds Rajecki and Allen came into the match having only dropped seven games all tournament and eventually prevailed in the championship tie-break, as they edged out Bains and Hutchinson 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.
After the match, the pair said, “It was a good week, it was tough with the rain and some delays but we dealt with it really well. The final was an incredibly high level, congrats to Holly and Naiktha, and it’s unfortunate it has to go down to a tiebreak, but we started really well in the tiebreak and that was the difference.”
Tournament Director Luke Gallen spoke following the conclusion of the singles final, saying, "There were a few challenges with the weather but the quality of tennis throughout the week shone through here in Nottingham. It was fantastic to see so many British players competing in singles and doubles throughout the week, alongside quality players like former Wimbledon and Australian Open quarter-finalist Zhang Shuai.
"A huge thank you the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre team, and to all the amazing ball crew, officials, supervisor, physios, stringer and drivers who all played their part in making it a great week off the back of the grass court season.’’
International tournaments such as the Lexus British Pro Series Nottingham are part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar (PCC) which provides significantly enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway on home soil. The calendar is designed to provide comprehensive opportunities for British players to play, earn ranking points and win prize money at home, throughout the year.
Performance Competitions Calendar
The LTA's Competitions Calendar provides significantly enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway.
