Nature Valley Open logo

8 - 16 June 2019

Nature Valley Open

Nottingham Tennis Centre

Local time

Five moments that made the Nature Valley Open

  • 2019 WTA International logo
  • ATP Challenger Tour logo
  • 17/06/2018

  • Major Events

What a week it's been in Nottingham... from floss dancing to sensational shotmaking, we've seen it all!

Johanna Konta, Dan Evans, Heather Watson and Joe Salisbury kept us on the edge of our seats as they all secured spots in each of the four finals, while Aussie stars Ashleigh Barty and Alex de Minaur showcased true class on grass as they sailed to singles victories.

Check out five of our favourite moments that made the 2018 Nature Valley Open...

1.  Ice Age vs. Stone Age

Two ages collided this week as 2017 champion Donna Vekic swapped her trainers for ice skates and a trio of Brits took to the caves for a spot of tennis.

Vekic slid into action at Nottingham’s National Ice Centre to join Rob Lachowicz of The Nottingham Panthers and kept her cool as she tried tennis on ice!

Then Heather Watson, Cameron Norrie and Jay Clarke rallied together at Nottingham Castle to conquer the art of 'cave tennis'…

2. Blossoming Brits

The British crowds had plenty to cheer about with four Brits reaching respective finals, but rising stars Katie Swan and Katie Boulter also provided plenty of excitement earlier on in the week as they both hit career milestones.

Swan qualified for her first WTA tournament after she scored two consecutive three-set wins during the qualifying weekend. The 19-year-old proved her resilience by fighting back from a set down in both of her qualifying matches to book her place in the main draw. 

Main draw 🙌🏽🌱 @wta #NatureValleyOpen

A post shared by Katie Swan (@katieswan99) on

Boulter kick-started her Nottingham campaign with a straight sets victory over former world No.12 Yanina Wickmayer to set up a final-16 clash with 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur. The 21-year-old remained unfazed by the challenge and swept past the Australian 7-6(6), 6-1 to reach her first ever WTA quarter-final!

3. Floss Friday

Everyone loves that #FridayFeeling, but Nottingham’s ball kids and volunteers took it one step further as ‘Floss Fever’ hit Nottingham Tennis Centre. They took time out from their morning routine to try out the Floss Dance and their coordination was pretty on point...

4. Doubles delight

Britain’s Joe Salisbury delighted home fans as he lifted the doubles trophy with Danish partner Frederik Nielsen. Their marathon 2-6, 7-6(4), [15-13] semi-final victory against British defending champions Ken and Neal Skupski set up a final with fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, which they went on to win 7-6(5), 6-1.

Heather Watson brought her best grass court game to the table as she reached the doubles final with Mihaela Buzarnescu. The 2016 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion and Romanian defeated the top seeds in the opening round and continued with momentum to make their first final together.

5. Singles success

Johanna Konta and Dan Evans dug deep to ensure there was a Brit to cheer on in both singles finals, baring their best fist pumps and roars along the way! 

2017 Wimbledon semi-finalist Konta made it back-to-back finals in Nottingham as she defeated Kurumi Nara, Heather Watson, Dalila Jakupovic and Donna Vekic en route to the final, where she faced top seed Ashleigh Barty. Barty proved to be a force to be reckoned with and captured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory to lift her maiden grass-court singles trophy. 

Evans was also on top form throughout the week and reached the semi-final without dropping a set. A brilliant 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over former world No.19 Marcel Granollers set up a final with rising star Alex de Minaur, who prevailed 7-6(4), 7-5 to seal his first ATP Challenger title. 

Secure your seat courtside at British Tennis grass court events and #BackTheBrits as they battle it out against the best in the world - tickets on sale now!