By Contributor Helen Jackson #AegonOpen2016
World-class tennis came to Nottingham this month as the stars of both the men’s and women’s tours began their preparation for Wimbledon right here at the Nottingham Tennis Centre!!
Top seed Karolína Plíšková won the women’s singles title while American sixth seed Steve Johnson claimed the men’s. In the women’s doubles the winners were Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai, who won a tense match tiebreak 10-7!! While on the men’s side there was British success in the shape of Dominic Inglot, who was part of the winning GB Davis Cup team, as he and his partner Canadian Daniel Nestor, a former world no. 1 no less, claimed the victory in just their second tournament together!!
The Brits were out in force as Kyle Edmund, James Ward, Laura Robson, Heather Watson, Tara Moore and Jo Konta took to the court. Tara Moore enjoyed a fantastic run, coming through a tough qualifying draw to reach the Quarter-finals!! She’s definitely shown that she is one to watch, as her success here came immediately after she reached the final at the Aegon Eastbourne Trophy! She also gained a wildcard for Wimbledon, reaching the second round and pushing the 2 time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova to the limit in a thrilling encounter. Make sure you look out for Tara and cheer her on this season!! Her run here in Nottingham included an exciting victory over the eighth seed Christina McHale, who took a set off Serena Williams at Wimbledon!!
Former world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki was in town and although she lost out in the second round to rising star Anett Kontaveit, she was still very excited to be back on court after 10 weeks away from the tour with an ankle injury, tweeting; “Aaand we are back on grass - happy to be healthy and back on tour! Thanks for all your support, appreciate it”
She wasn’t the only one enjoying their tennis here in Nottingham as there were also plenty of opportunities for the kids to get on court with lots of fun activities and competitions taking place! Kids and adults got on court for free at the Aegon Open Nottingham. It was also a great opportunity to pick up some selfies and autographs with the pro players as they warmed up for Wimbledon!!
As Zheng Saisai demonstrated on the practise courts – you have to hit a lot of tennis balls to become a champion so get out there and #GoHitIt!! Zheng enjoyed a fantastic run to the semi-finals this week and was supported incredibly well – a special mention here must go to two of the most enthusiastic young tennis fans I have ever seen!! Her two super cheerleaders were rewarded for their support as she hit a ball into the crowd for them immediately after her quarter-final win!!
There was plenty of entertainment around the grounds for all the family to enjoy!! There was live music, a tennis-playing stilt walker, a bubble artist, a baking demo by Frances Quinn of the Great British Bake Off, retail pop-ups, a kids’ tennis session with Judy Murray, the Davis Cup was on display, and Pat Cash, Jeremy Bates, Anne Keothavong and local star Jocelyn Rae were on hand for a special Q&A session!!