British success at the LTA Nottingham pro-series event
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Finn Bass and Emile Hudd overcame compatriots William Nolan and Jack Pinnington Jones in an all British doubles final to clinch the title at the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event in Nottingham this weekend.
Jack Pinnington Jones, who has enjoyed a successful summer at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre, also finished runner-up in the singles final, losing a close battle to Norway’s August Holmgren 6-4 2-6 2-6.
Pinnington Jones made the quarter-finals at the Rothesay Open in June having pulled off a huge upset defeating Britain’s No.2 Cam Norrie on his way to the quarter-finals as a wild card. It was another huge week in the young player’s development last week, defeating the top seed Jules Marie of France in the first round, ranked over 400 places above him in the world rankings.
International tennis continues in Nottingham this week with another M25 level tournament alongside a women’s W50 which will see British star Heather Watson competing.
The international tournaments are part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar (PCC) which provides significantly enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway on home soil.
Speaking after the final, August Holmgren said “It feels great to lift the title, I’ve had some really good matches with high level tennis. I’ve been down match points in the quarteri-final and had a big challenge today against Jack. I like Nottingham a lot, the whole team of umpires, stringers, and the lunch – everything is very professional. It’s super nice to come to a tournament where I know that everythign is the way it’s supposed to be.”
LTA Tournament Director Lauren Beech said: “Brilliant week of tennis here at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre, congratulations to all the winners. Playing two weeks of back-to-back Lexus GB Pro Series events at Nottingham gives our players a great opportunity to compete and earn ATP/WTA ranking points on home soil. We hope the British success will continue next week.”
The LTA’s PCC is designed to provide comprehensive opportunities for British players to play, earn ranking points and win prize money at home, throughout the year. The calendar is structured to reward success with players earning opportunities to ‘play up’ in older age groups and higher-level tournaments, with wild cards to allow players to advance when ready.
The 2024 PCC has built on the 2023 calendar with the addition of two ATP Challenger events in February earlier this year – the Lexus Nottingham Challenger (Challenger 75), and the Lexus Glasgow Challenger (Challenger 50) beginning 12 February, with two ITF W50 events running at the same time. This reflects the LTA’s desire to ensure a calendar which best supports the current British cohort of players, with domestic playing opportunities at the appropriate level. The PCC is currently projected to provide an increase of $118k in total prize money available at pro tournaments in 2024.
The 2024 LTA Competitions Calendar can be found here.
