Surbiton Trophy: Yanina Wickmayer won the Surbiton Trophy in a three-set fight with Katie Swan, preventing her opponent from becoming the British No. 1.
Wickmayer rallied from a set down to win 2-6 6-4 7-6 three weeks before both players compete at Wimbledon. Swan would have surpassed Katie Boulter to become the top British female tennis player if she had won. Last week in Surbiton, Boulter knocked Emma Raducanu off the top of the standings.
The heat in Surbiton did not hinder the duo as they battled at a high intensity with extended exchanges, resulting in Swan grabbing a 4-2 lead in the opening set.
Swan’s serve proved to be a vital weapon early on, as Wickmayer struggled to deal with the 24-year-old’s accuracy, which allowed her to stay on the front foot in exchanges before closing out the first set 6-2.
First 100k final in Surbiton! Tough end to a great week. Loved the support and pumped for the next one ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/EJGCtTDKCJ
— Katie Swan (@Katieswan99) June 11, 2023
Wickmayer, on the other hand, began to find her stride in the second, edging Swan to a 5-4 lead.
The Belgian made no mistake in pulling level after forcing errors from eighth seed Swan to seal off the second set.
Wickmayer finally began to show her class in the fifth set, with several moments of greatness for which her opponent had no answers.
These came in the shape of her returns, with her choice of location over power proving to be a masterstroke as she tightened her hold on the tie late in the game.
Swan managed to force a tie-break in the deciding set, but fell short when Wickmayer surged to a 6-1 lead before finishing out the match to be declared winner.
Swan stated during a court-side interview televised by the LTA, “I feel like it was a high-level match all the way through.”
“It was difficult because she was all over me as soon as I dropped my levels slightly, and I had to maintain that for as long as I could. It was quite difficult, but the overall level was extremely high.
“She is in incredible shape; I’m not sure how she can be that fit after having a baby. I think what she’s doing is incredible.”
It is the first time in Boulter’s career that she has held the top place in the British rankings, and she will compete at the Nottingham this week. She is the 23rd woman to achieve this feat since the rankings began in 1975.
“Naturally, I am very proud to join the women who have gone before me,” said Boulter.
“However, my main goal remains to improve my ranking and to continue working hard.” It’ll be an intriguing summer since we’re all so close in the standings.”
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