Katie Boulter wins first all-British final on WTA Tour since 1977

IN OTHER NEWS: Ekaterina Alexandrova won the other grass-court event this week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Katie Boulter won the first all-British final on the WTA Tour in 46 years and secured her first career title by beating Jodie Burrage 6-3, 6-3 at the Nottingham Open on Sunday.

The last all-British final in 1977 saw Sue Barker beat Virginia Wade in San Francisco. Boulter beat Heather Watson 6-4, 7-5 in the first all-British semifinal on the tour in 48 years on Saturday.

Boulter, who extended her head-to-head record against Burrage to 3-0, is from nearby Leicester and considers this her home tournament.

"There was training here when I was four or five years old, coming here as a fan and also now as a player, dreaming big and somehow found a way to win it today," Boulter said. "It means more than everything to me."

Boulter had 13 winners to six overall for Burrage, who hadn't reached a WTA quarterfinal until this week.

Boulter's win over Watson had ensured she will return to the Top 100 for the first time since 2019 and the victory over Burrage puts the top-ranked British player in the Top 80.

Boulter surged into a 3-0 lead in the first set thanks to an early break. She broke again but missed her first chance to serve out the set only to quickly settle any nerves by breaking Burrage for a third time to take the opener.

Another early break in the second set tightened Boulter's grip on the match. She won on her second championship point.