Boston Open : Top seeds Tomlinson and Lake win

Top seeds Millie and Nathan take Boston Open titles

[1] Millie Tomlinson (Eng) 3-0 [2] Haley Mendez (Usa) 19/17, 11/3, 11/3 (36m)

[1] Nathan Lake (Eng) 3-0 [¾] Harry Falconer (Eng)  13/11, 11/5, 11/5 (39m)

After appearing as a young child at the Boston Junior Open, Lincolnshire lad Harry Falconer appeared in his first senior Boston Open final against world #49 Nathan Lake.

Harry started brightly, taking a 4/0 lead in the first game, but Nathan fought his way back to a tiebreak victory, before dominating the next two games in a final that followed a not too dissimilar pattern to the women’s one before it.

Nathan won 13/11, 11/5, 11/5 in 39 minutes to win his first Boston Open title.

The women’s final was the most competitive since 2015, although Millie Tomlinson still hasn’t lost a set in Boston since then, as she beat Haley Mendez in straight games to win her fifth consecutive Boston Open crown.

Haley can count herself hard done by not to have taken a game though. She won more points in the first set than three of the previous four runners-up have managed in entire finals against Millie. It was an extraordinary opening game that lasted 21 minutes. It was tight throughout and the players were never separated by more than two points. Both players squandered gameballs, before the top seed eventually won the tiebreak.

The rest of the match was easier for the reigning champion, who didn’t drop a point from 6/3 up in either of the next two games against her tired opponent – giving her a 19/7, 11/3, 11/3 win in the final in 36 minutes.

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