British Tennis Round-up: A gutsy Fed Cup performance, WTA final and ITF titles
• 3 MINUTE READ
Japan
Great Britain’s Fed Cup team travelled to Japan’s Miki City to take on the host nation in the World Group II play-offs, but despite a battling performance, the team narrowly missed out on returning to Fed Cup’s elite World Group level as they fell 3-2.
British No.2 Heather Watson kickstarted the weekend’s action and faced Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka. Osaka proved too strong and wrapped up a 6-2, 6-3 victory, but British No.1 Johanna Konta levelled the tie after defeating Kurumi Nara 6-4, 6-2.
On Sunday, Konta put Britain in the best possible position as she pulled off one of her best performances of the year to defeat Osaka 6-3, 6-3. Watson was up next but lost 7-6(7), 6-4 to an in-form Nara which called for a deciding doubles rubber.
Fed Cup captrain Anne Keothavong named Konta and Watson to take on Miyu Kato and Makoto Ninomiya, but the Japanese had the edge and secured the World Group II spot with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win.
China
Just two weeks after claiming her first WTA title at the Monterrey Open, Naomi Broady enjoyed more doubles success by reaching the final of the Zhengzhou Women's Tennis Open – a WTA $125K series event.
Broady teamed up with Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer and overcame Jia-Jing Lu and Junri Namigata 7-6(2), 6-3 in the semi-finals. The pair found themselves up against Chinese fourth seeds Yingying Duan and Yafan Wang in the final, but narrowly missed out on the title after falling 7-6(5), 6-3.
Portugal
Katie Boulter sealed her first ITF Pro Circuit title of the year as she was crowned champion of a $25K event in Obidos. The 21-year-old defeated Italian sixth seed Guilia Gatto-Monticone 7-5, 6-4 in the semi-finals, before she battled past Polish wild card Urszula Radwanska 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
In doubles, Sarah Beth Grey and Olivia Nicholls won their second title in two weeks. The pair didn’t drop a set en route to the final and ousted Spaniards Yvonne Cavelle-Reimers and Eva Guerrero Alvarez by 6-2, 6-1.
Egypt
Evan Hoyt won his first Futures title of the year whilst playing in the doubles of a tournament in $15K tournament in Sharm El Sheikh. The 23-year-old partnered Dusty Boyer and sailed past Christian Hirschmueller and Joy Vigani 6-3, 6-4 to lift the trophy.
Photo of the week
It's all smiles for Johanna Konta as she pulls off a fantastic Fed Cup victory...
Tweet of the week
Fed Cup debutante Gabriella Taylor remains resilient for Britain's 2019 Fed Cup campaign...
