Doubles delight for Dudeney in battle of the Brits at Lexus British Pro Series Manchester

22-year-old Dudeney, who enjoyed a stellar 2025 with nine titles across singles and doubles competitions, continued her form into 2026 at the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, as she and Malygina reached the final of the tournament without dropping a set. There, the pair faced number one seeds Weronika Falkwoska of Poland and Dudeney’s fellow Brit Emily Appleton, who also arrived at the showpiece match without a set being dropped.

It was the number one seeds who set the tone early on, flying out of the blocks to win nine out of the first ten games, claiming the first set 6-1 and going a break up in the second. However, Dudeney and Malygina fought back, avoiding going a double break down before beginning to reel in Appleton and Falkowska, and managing to take the second set to a tiebreak. After saving match points, the British Estonian pair held on in the tiebreak to take the second set, and force a deciding match tiebreak. Twice Dudeney and Malygina edged ahead before Appleton and Falkowska levelled the scores, but after another break of serve, Dudeney served out the match and secured the title with a 1-6 7-6(6) 10-7 win.

After the match, Dudeney said, “It feels great. It’s only our third time playing together, but we have the best time on court, it’s always fun and we always play well together, so hopefully that sets the tone for the year!”

In the singles, it was a battle of two rising stars as 20-year-old Swiss native Celine Naef took on 18-year-old Elizara Yaneva of Bulgaria, who knocked out British rising star Mika Stojsavljevic in the semi-finals. In a tight three-set battle, it was Naef who would go on to take the title. Naef had to do it the hard way, having to come from a set down for the first time all tournament, but after losing the first set 6-4, she stormed back to claim her first title since November 2024, 4-6 6-1 6-4.

After her title win, Naef said, “It was a great week for me, I was really excited to play – I had an amazing preseason so was ready to compete again.” On her final performance, she added, “I was a bit nervous and she was playing well. Of course, sometimes there are ups and down, but you just keep going with your plan… and at the end, I think I deserved the win.”

Following the conclusion of the singles final, Tournament Director Kerry Smith said, “It's been a great week here at Manchester Tennis and Football Centre on the Etihad Campus for the first women's tour event in Britain of 2026. We saw brilliant action throughout the tournament, with both finals thrilling three-setters of a really high level. Thank you very much to the staff here at the centre, and to Manchester Active for their backing of the event."

International tournaments such as the Lexus British Pro Series Manchester 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.

After a week off, the women’s tour heads to the Edgbaston Priory Club for the Lexus British Pro Series Birmingham, an ITF W35 event, whilst the men continue their stay at Scotstoun Community Tennis Centre in Glasgow for the Lexus British Pro Series Glasgow ITF M25 event.