In the first all-British final on the Hologic WTA Tour in 46 years, British No.1 Katie Boulter defeated Jodie Burrage 6-3, 6-3 to win the Rothesay Open in Nottingham, England.
Boulter, 26, overtook Emma Raducanu in the rankings at the start of the week to become the highest-ranked British woman on tour. She cemented that status by extending her record against her fellow British players to 5-0. Into the draw as a wild card, she defeated four of her compatriots en route to the title, notching wins over Emily Appleton, Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and Burrage. She did not drop a set in the tournament.
"I dreamt of this moment at this tournament since I was a little girl," said Boulter, who grew up in nearby Leicestershire. "There was training here when I was 4 or 5 years old, coming here as a fan and also now as a player, dreaming big and somehow found a way to win it today. It means more than everything to me."
Coming into the tournament ranked No.126, Boulter will return to the Top 100 on Monday for the first time since 2019.
FIRST CAREER TITLE ❤️🏆❤️
— wta (@WTA) June 18, 2023
A moment that @katiecboulter will never forget as she claims the title on home soil in Nottingham!#RothesayOpen pic.twitter.com/LXOqw6nzbB
The stakes were high as Boulter and Burrage took the court on Sunday for the first all-British final since 1977. Into the first WTA final of their respective careers, Boulter and Burrage were each bidding to become the first British champion since Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.
Ranked No.131, Burrage enjoyed an outstanding week in Nottingham. In her first tour-level appearance this season, she defeated Tereza Martincova, Magda Linette, Magdalena Frech and Alizé Cornet.
Boulter came into the final with a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head series against Burrage, including a three-set victory in the final of the ITF W60 in Canberra earlier this season. After breaking Burrage immediately to start the match, the British No.1 powered her way to a 5-1 lead before closing out the set at 6-3. Boulter struck 13 winners to Burrage's six.
Boulter continued her dominance in the second set, earning a 3-0 lead with the help of a helpful net cord and sealing the win after 1 hour and 13 minutes.
You love to see it 🤗@katiecboulter ❤️ @jodieburrage #RothesayOpen pic.twitter.com/POP5NoQ53J
— wta (@WTA) June 18, 2023
Boulter is the fifth first-time champion on the WTA Tour this season, joining Zhu Lin (Hua Hin), Alycia Parks (Lyon), Marta Kostyuk (Austin) and Lucia Bronzetti (Rabat).
Sunday's final in Nottingham was just the third all-British final in the last 50 years of the WTA Tour. The only previous all-British finals were between Sue Barker and Virginia Wade at 1975 Paris and 1977 San Francisco.
Earlier in the day, Norway's Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia's Ingrid Neel prevented the British sweep, defeating Dart and Watson 7-6(6), 5-7, [10-8] to win the doubles title. It is the second doubles title for both Eikeri and Neel, with each having won their first with different partners in 2021.