Less than a month after the French Open became the first grand slam since 2009 to begin without a British woman in the draw, Katie Boulter completed a dream week for the home nation on the grass courts of the Nottingham Open, defeating Jodie Burrage 6-3, 6-3 to win the first all-British WTA final since 1977. 

Neither player had previously made a tour-level final, and to do so Boulter had to go through another compatriot, Heather Watson, in what was the first tour-level semi-final to be contested between two British women since 1975. After plumbing the depths in Paris, the domestic contingent have shown that the grass is decidedly greener on the other side of the Channel.

“I’m so proud of the girls this week we’ve all done tremendously well,” said Boulter, doubling down on her insistence earlier in the week that British tennis does not want for depth. 

With Andy Murray earlier winning a second ATP Challenger event in as many weeks on the same court, and Wimbledon only a fortnight away, the Britpack would indeed seem to be gathering momentum at just the right moment.

Boulter’s victory, which comes just a week after she overtook the injured Emma Raducanu in the rankings to become British No 1 for the first time, feels especially timely. Six weeks ago, when Raducanu dropped out of the top 100 as she began her recovery from wrist and ankle surgeries, it left Britain without an elite-level player for the first time since 2008. But after successfully negotiating a contest in which a first tour-level title and the British No 1 ranking were up for grabs for both players, Boulter will rise to a career-high ranking of 77. A wild card in Nottingham, the 26-year-old will not need one for Wimbledon.

“I’m feeling everything, probably more emotional than anything else,” said Boulter, who was born in Leicester and recalled in her winner’s speech how she used to train at the Nottingham Tennis Centre as a young girl. 

“I put my heart on the line this week. I’ve always dreamt of winning this tournament, so for me it was a dream come true. 

“My work is not done yet, I’ve got a lot more work to do. I’m really proud that I’ve had a great week, but I’m going to be back on the practice court very soon.”

While Boulter walks away with the spoils as only the second player in two decades to win a WTA title without facing a player ranked in the top 130, Burrage’s week has been barely less impressive. After seeing off the Czech Republic’s Tereza Martincova in a third set-set tiebreak in round one, the 24-year-old went on to beat a trio of players ranked in the top 100, including Magda Linette, the third seed, and former Australian Open quarter-finalist Alizé Cornet. 

“A bit gutted today,” said Burrage, the world No 131, in her on-court interview. “Tough, tough match that, Boults played absolutely incredibly, didn’t let me play at all, so credit to her. 

“But for me, this has been such a positive week. I’ve beaten some really good players this week, proved to myself a lot of things, so I’m only going to take the positives. 

“I’ll take positives from this, take confidence from it, and hopefully play some good tennis in the upcoming months.”

The first signs that a testing afternoon lay ahead for Burrage came as early as the opening game, where Boulter rifled a backhand return winner before sealing a break with a delicate half-volley.

Further woe followed for Burrage when she miscued an approach shot before double-faulting to hand Boulter a 4-1 lead. As Boulter backed up her heavy serve with fearless returning, Burrage struggled on her second serve, failing to win a point behind it in the first set.

“I just believe in myself and just keep swinging,” said Boulter. “I think the biggest thing for me was just to have a go and, even if I lose the match, then I’m still swinging, still going for it. That’s the player that I am, aggressive.”

It is a quality she showed in defeating former Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova at the All England Club last summer, and Boulter maintained her front-foot approach in the second set, ending the afternoon with 21 winners, more than twice as many as Burrage.

At the Libéma Open in Rosmalen, defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) against top seed Veronika Kudermetova to win the longest women’s final of the year.

“After such a difficult match it’s such a pleasant feeling, I cannot even describe it,” said Alexandrova, who trailed a match of multiple rain delays by a set and a break before recovering to win in two hours and 52 minutes.

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But while the result and the opponent were the same, the circumstances could not have been more different. Boulter’s 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win, which takes her through to the third round of a grand slam for the first time at the age of 25, came two days after the death of her maternal grandmother Jill Gartshore. 

If Boulter’s first win over Pliskova, a finalist at Wimbledon last year, was grounded in tenacity and self-belief, the second was forged in grief for the loss of a beloved family member who helped her take her first steps in the game.  

“It was a very, very tough match for me, for many aspects,” said Boulter, who recalled how her grandmother took her to play at her local club when she was four. “I’m super proud of myself for getting through today against a player like that, having already played her last week. 

“I also had expectations going out there, and I managed to control my emotions very well and played a really good match. Ultimately it came down to the wire and I think I stayed really strong in the tough moments.”

In an emotional on-court interview, Boulter earlier dedicated the win to her grandmother, moving TV chef Dame Mary Berry and many other Centre Court onlookers to tears. 

“I’ve got no words rights now, I’m literally shaking, the crowd was unbelievable, so thank you so much for getting me through that,” said Boulter. “I’m going to get emotional. My gran passed away two days ago, and I’d just like to dedicate that to her today.”

Boulter’s journey to this moment has been filled with adversity. A precociously talented junior who reached the final of the prestigious Orange Bowl event in 2011, she contracted chronic fatigue syndrome three years later and for a time was left virtually bedridden. Boulter eventually returned and, in 2019, broke into the top 100 for the first time – only to suffer a spinal stress fracture on Fed Cup duty that kept her out for nine months. The pandemic delayed her comeback further, and only now is she showing the form of which she is capable. It has been a long road.

“I have had to build momentum and some strength physically,” said Boulter, who is currently ranked 118th. “It’s a huge part of my game. I finally have been able to put that work in. It’s started to pay off. I’ve got a lot more work to do, and hopefully I can keep doing that.”

Boulter, who grew up in the village of Woodhouse Eaves in Leicester, comes from a close-knit family with a strong background in the game. Her grandmother was an accomplished regional player, while her mother Sue is a former county player and coach. Boulter said her grandfather Brian, who was present alongside her mother in the players’ box, had been careful to keep news of her grandmother’s passing from her until after her first-round win over Clara Burel.

“I actually had a phone call from my grandpa the night before I played,” she said. “He didn’t mention anything, but he kind of gave me the inkling that it might be coming. I didn’t know anything until after my first match, where my mum basically pulled me aside and told me.”

Boulter later watched her boyfriend, the 19th-seeded Australian Alex De Minaur, defeat Britain’s Jack Draper 5-7, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-3.

In another contest rich in emotion, former semi-finalist Kirsten Flipkens was defeated 7-5, 6-4 by Simona Halep in the final singles match of her career. Halep, the 16th seed and 2019 title-winner, embraced Flipkens warmly afterwards, before the tearful 36-year-old stooped to kiss the Court 2 grass. Flipkens, who reached a career-high ranking of 13th, led 5-2 in the opening set and 4-1 in the second.

“For everything there is an end in life, and I’m about to start now a new chapter,” said Flipkens. “It’s a special feeling. I would have dreamed for a goodbye like today. I was really close to even taking a set from a champion like Simona. 

“It’s just a perfect way for me to end.”

Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to 37 matches, although not before dropping a set for only the seventh time since her unbeaten run began in late February. Swiatek, the world No 1, defeated Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove of the Netherlands, a lucky loser ranked 138th, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

“Grass is pretty tricky for me, I’m not going to lie,” said the Polish world No 1, who will play Alizé Cornet in round three. “I guess you can see that I’m not playing maybe as efficiently as on other surfaces. Basically, my confidence is getting better overall. But this tournament is tricky and I’m still feeling out how to play the best game here.”

Petra Kvitova, the champion in 2011 and 2014, survived a late fightback by Ana Bogdan, who trailed by a set and 5-1 before reeling off five games in a row. Kvitova, who won in Eastbourne last week, came through 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) and will now face fourth seed Paula Badosa, who Irina Bara of Romania 6-3, 6-2.  

“I think it was a great match until 5-1, 5-2,” said Kvitova. “Suddenly I felt so exhausted from the games I had. I don’t know, it was just tough to describe. I got a little bit tighter and she just went for it a little bit more. She didn’t miss. It was really tough to close it out.”

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