Jack Pinnington Jones wins first ATP Challenger Tour title in Nottingham
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The growing strength and depth of British tennis was on full show over the weekend in Nottingham, as rising British star Jack Pinnington Jones claimed his first ATP Challenger singles title after Brits claimed all four singles semi-final spots and both places in the doubles final at the Lexus Nottingham Challenger.
The 22-year-old defeated former world No.14 and fellow Brit Kyle Edmund 6-4, 7-6(1) in the final at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre, overturning a break deficit in the second set and saved another break point at 4-3 to go on and clinch the match in a tie-break. Pinnington Jones had to come through a series of tough matches across the week in Nottingham – starting against former junior world No.1 Nicolai Budkov Kjaer before defeating fellow Brits Harry Wendelken and Oliver Crawford and Australian Edward Winter en-route to the final.
A first Challenger title is a reward for a strong summer on the grass, where the young Briton finished as runner-up and the Lexus Ilkley Open and also clinched his first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon – overcoming former top 50-star Tomas Martin Etcheverry. These performances see the British star jump 91 places in the ATP rankings to world No.190.
Speaking after his win, Pinnington Jones said, “It's amazing - my first Challenger title so it'll always be special. I've played a lot of tennis matches here in Nottingham from my U10/U12 days and I've always enjoyed playing here. Anytime you're in the UK it's great; not much travel and I always see my relatives nearby so feel very comfortable here. To cap it off with a title was pretty special.
When asked about his rise into the top 200 for the first time, Pinnington Jones said, “There's a long way to go, it's just a start for me in this tennis journey as a professional. There's a lot of things I'm learning, and I've got great people, great support with the LTA - a lot of things that I can rely on to keep pushing forward. I think the biggest thing for me is to keep enjoying it and expecting new challenges. Not every week is going to go as well as this week, so to enjoy these moments.”
Pinnington Jones is just starting out on his professional tennis journey having just left Texas Christian University (TCU), where he competed in the NCAA.
At TCU, he won the NCAA National Championships alongside Jacob Fearnley and was one of the top ranked players in the country.
He is one of many Brits whose development has benefited from time in the NCAA and is currently supported by our Pro Transition Programme.
All-British doubles final delivers thrilling finish
In the doubles, the fourth seeds Scott Duncan and James MacKinlay defeated top seeds Charles Broom and Mark Whitehouse in a tightly contested final, which was decided by a mammoth match tie break lasting almost half an hour, 7-5 4-6 20-18. After advancing to the final via a walkover, the extra rest would prove crucial for the eventual winners, who dug deep into their energy reserves to rally and save seven championships points in a row from 9-2 down in the deciding tiebreak, before coming out on top.
MacKinlay and Duncan celebrate after securing the doubles title on Saturday (Credit: Jan Koscielski)
After the match, James MacKinlay said, “It hasn’t really set in. I don't really know what happened from about 9-2 down to be honest. We just went for the shots and we said at the start of the of tiebreak that we're just going to go for it, and it paid off.”
Tournament Director Lauren Beech spoke following the conclusion of the singles final, saying, “It has been exciting to launch a brand-new grass court ATP Challenger and extend the season for those who otherwise would not have been able to compete on grass this week. The scorching hot weather reflected the play, as we witnessed many incredible battles; the singles final going to a tiebreak in the second set and the doubles final coming down to a remarkable 20-18 finish in the deciding match tiebreak, all showcasing the growing depth of British tennis.
“A particular thank you to the grounds team at Nottingham, who worked tirelessly to turn the courts around following the Lexus Nottingham Open just a few weeks ago.”
The Lexus Nottingham Challenger is part of the LTA Performance Competitions Calendar, providing significantly enhanced opportunities for British players to develop their game and build ranking points throughout the season.
