Van Uytvanck puts back trouble behind her to win W100 Surbiton crown
Alison Van Uytvanck’s latest return from a long-standing back injury stepped up a notch on the grass after she collected her second W100 Surbiton crown on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
The 30-year-old Belgian defeated Tatjana Maria 6-7(5) 6-1 6-2 in the final in London for the 24th professional singles title - and fourth grass court crown of her career – and one that appeared rather unlikely just six months ago.
Van Uytvanck has been troubled by a back injury in recent years and spent another four months away from the game between October 2023 and February of this year in order to do give herself the best possible chance of a successful 2024 season.
“I had worked so hard on my comeback and wanted to end 2023 healthy,” she told Flemish daily Nieuwsblad at the end of 2023. “The intention was to slowly raise my level and prepare myself for 2024, an important year including the Olympic Games in Paris.
Van Uytvanck had insisted she would “pull out all the stops again in an attempt to recuperate” during her time away from the Tour and so far so good, it seems, this season.
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The former world No. 37 reached the final on her first event back at W75 Altenkirchen in February, and has since added two more titles to her career haul – on Tunisian clay at W35 Hammamet in April, and now on the Surbiton grass.
“What a week,” she posted on Instagram on Sunday after her victory over Maria. “It might not be Roland Garros but so grateful for this title.”
W100 Surbiton was the only grass court event held on the ITF World Tennis Tour last week, with highlights elsewhere including a triumph for Spaniard Leyre Romero Gormaz on clay at W75 Caserta, and victory for Carson Branstine on hard courts at W75 Sumter.
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