Jodie Burrage celebrating her game win at Nottingham 2023. Photo credit: Jodie Burrage via Instagram.
Jodie Burrage took her tennis game to a whole new level as she played the best week of her career at the Rothesay Nottingham Open.
Burrage’s best result in 2023 pre the grass season came in Australia when she reached an ITF final in which she was beaten in the final by fellow countrywoman Katie Boulter. Burrage failed to qualify for both the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Masters this year but with her sights set on Wimbledon and excellent form on grass, the future is looking hopeful as the Championships approach.
Grass seems to be a surface that the British excel on and the 24 year old quickly showed that she had the quality to defeat those at the highest level.
Burrage began her tournament in the Round of 32. Her pre-tournament ranking of 131, the British number 3 meant she evaded the qualifiers that the majority of her fellow Brits played. Her Round of 32 opponent was drawn as Czech, Tereza Martincová who was rated just 9 places above her as the Czech number 10. Relatively even on rankings, the match reflected this in a wearisome 3 hour battle on Centre Court. Burrage found herself down a game at 4-3, 5-4 and 6-5 but each time managed to serve out the game to get back on equal terms.
At 6-6 in the first set, the first tiebreak ensued and after just 6 points, Burrage was leading 5-1 and looked poised to clinch the set. Her opponent however broke back to level the game to 5-5. Burrage did not let this phase her and served out the winning point at 7-5 to take the first set 7-6.
The second set was not the ideal start as Burrage was broken in straight points and Martincová claimed the first game and then the second. The Czech’s winning streak continued until she held the Brit to a 5-1 lead. Burrage, showed her mettle and fought back to win the next game and then broke her opponent to trail 5-3. Martincová, however, held calmly and broke back Burrage to clinch the second set 6-3. Once again Burrage found herself on the chasing end of the set in the third. Down at 4-3, 5-4 and 6-5 she once again battled back to level the playing field at 6-6, sending the match into its second tiebreak. Burrage completed the win in three sets, taking the final tiebreak 7-4 with 6 aces to her name.
Burrage’s next opponent in the Round of 16 was the formidable Magda Linette, ranked at 21 in the world and 3rd in the Nottingham draw. Linette was a 2023 Australian Open semi finalist and had reached a career high ranking. In the first set, Linette stormed to a 3 game lead over the Brit, breaking her serve in the second. Down at 5-4, Burrage proceeded to win 3 games in a row and break back her opponent to claim the first set 7-5. A fantastic comeback, that showed Burrage’s grit and determination. Burrage started the second set powerfully, breaking her opponents serve to grab the first game and then the second. Linette battled back and after 6 games, both players had 3 each to their names. Burrage would not go on to lose another game, breaking her opponent twice on her route to a 6-3 set win. The game was complete in just two sets for the rising British star and she was hurtling towards the quarter finals- her first ever on the WTA tour.
As Nottingham whittled down the competitors Burrage would next face 77th ranked Magdalena Fręch. The Pole has 5 singles and 4 doubles titles on the ITF tour to her name as well as a single WTA title in singles at the Concord Open.Burrage found herself 2-1 down in the first set but her quality groundstrokes and absolute grit in an 11 point game saw her claim 5 games in a row to take the first set 6-2. In a familiar scene to Burrage’s round of 32 match, her opponent rushed to a lead of 4-1. Burrage once again smoothly struck her way back into the game to claim her footing at 3-5. Fręch however, dug deep to claim the second set 6-3. In a final set that saw Burrage leading throughout, there was an intense tie at 5 games each as once again, an 11 point game had to be won. Burrage lost just 4 more points on her road to victory as she sealed the third set 7-5 to take her into her first ever WTA semi-final.
Burrage was next served a monster of an opponent in former world number 22, Alizé Cornet. The Frenchwoman has 9 singles and doubles titles on the WTA tour and was ranked at 72 going into the tournament, an unfair indicator of her immense level of play.
Jodie Burrage takes the first set against Alize Cornet 🔥
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 17, 2023
An all-British final might be on the cards in Nottingham 👀#BBCTennis pic.twitter.com/ruHfvukCos
Cornet claimed the first two games of the first set, breaking her opponents serve in the second, after failing to convert her first break point. A battle of quality then ensued, including a game in which a blistering backhand down the line from Burrage saw her win the game and eventually go on to win shot of the day. The games were then tied at 4-4, with Cornet taking the next to see Burrage serve to save the set. The Brit did exactly that and after breaking back her opponent, she claimed the first set 7-5.
The second set was all to play for and it would decide who would enter into the Nottingham final to face Katie Boulter. The set was largely similar to the first, Burrage was the first to take the lead at 4-2 and then Cornet at 5-4. Burrage however, served out the next game in straight points and lost just 2 points in the final three games to send her flying into her first ever WTA final.
Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage were set to contest in the first all-British WTA Tour final for 46 years.
"Nerves of steel." 💪
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 17, 2023
Jodie Burrage sets up an all-British final in Nottingham with Katie Boulter 👏
It's her first ever main tour final 🔥#BBCTennis pic.twitter.com/Pnb51ZMo8v
In the end it was Boulter who would go on to take the trophy in Nottingham, the grass suiting her flat, hard hitting technique and leaving Burrage stunned at her 21 winners. She smoothly neutralised the threat of Burrage to clinch the game in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
This leaves Burrage ranked at 108th in the World, making her the new British number 2 as she overtakes US Open Champion Emma Raducanu. We can be certain that there is more to come from Burrage, especially as she has been handed a wild card for Wimbledon. Burrage will enter straight into the main draw in hopes of making it far at the prestigious Championships.
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