Asia Muhammad is setting her sights on singles success this summer after winning the LTA Lexus GB Pro Series at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
The World No.292 was eliminated in the first round of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon alongside partner Giuliana Olmos, but she made no mistake on her return to singles action, taking a 6-2 1-0 lead before her rival Sohyun Park’s withdrawal due to illness.
The international tournament in south-west London is part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar, which provides significantly enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway.
Muhammad will take the title back to the USA, but she was quick to thank British No.4 Harriet Dart for helping her prepare for the women’s singles in the capital.
“Coming in, I honestly just wanted matches, I have been playing a lot of doubles, and my singles has kind of taken a back seat which I am not too happy with,” she said.
“I wanted to really prioritise my singles, so I stayed here after Wimbledon, and I just wanted sets, matches, I was not planning on winning the tournament.
“Obviously you want that, I was just trying to take each match one at a time and making sure I played the right way and had the right mentality.
“It is so nice here, I was talking to my friend Harriet Dart and I am actually staying at her house this week, so it has been a very comfortable week.
“I have been staying with friends, and being at the NTC you have courts, you have physio, you have food.
“It is just very comfortable which is something you do not get every week on the ITF circuit.”
Muhammad was sensational in the semi-finals, dispatching Britain’s Amarni Banks 6-0 6-2 to book her place in the final.
The LTA Lexus GB Pro Series Roehampton featured 13 British women in the singles draw, including Anna Brogan, who recently reached the final round of Wimbledon qualifying.
And the 32-year-old from Long Beach, California admitted staying with Dart was the icing on the cake after an excellent week.
“She is just so positive,” added Muhammad.
“She played a 25 in Nottingham a couple of months ago so she understands me staying to get matches.
“It was nice because she was here practicing so I could see her and she said good luck and stuff.
“So it was a really good week.
“Now I am going to prioritise singles.”
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