By Matt Hardy
Andy Murray and Jodie Burrage won the men’s and women’s singles titles at the Nottingham Open yesterday in a grass season bounce for Brits following a disappointing spell on clay.
Former British No1 Murray backed up Challenger Tour wins on clay in France with a straight sets 6-4 6-4 win against Frenchman Arthur Cazaux.
The victory puts the two-time Wimbledon winner in striking distance of being seeded at the third Grand Slam of the calendar.
He will head to Queen’s on Monday knowing two wins will be enough to earn a seed at the All England Club.
Burrage beat fellow Brit Katie Boulter 6-3 6-3 in the women’s singles final. It was the first time the WTA Tour had seen an all-British final since Sue Barker beat Virginia Wade in 1977 in the United States.
“I’m definitely going to be sleeping with this trophy tonight,” Boulter said after the win.
There could have been a pair of Brits lifting the women’s doubles title, too, but Heather Watson and Harriet Dart were beaten 7-6 5-7 10-8.
No British women reached the main draw of the French Open this month for the first time since 2008 in a low point for tennis in this country but results on grass – where three of the four women’s semi-finalists were British – should offer hope ahead of Wimbledon.
No Brit has won a Wimbledon singles title since Andy Murray in 2016 and this year’s slam – which begins on July 3 – will take place without Emma Raducanu given the former US Open recently underwent surgery on both wrists and an ankle.
Andy Murray skipped Roland Garros to focus on the grass court season and a seed for Wimbledon, something he can secure next week at Queen’s Club in west London.
