Rising British tennis star Daniella Britton is the Lexus Wrexham Open’s first One Point Grand champion after winning an exciting event that saw professional tennis players challenged by amateurs in one-point matches.

Inspired by the success of the Australian Open’s Million Dollar One Point Slam, the Wrexham equivalent, which involved 16 professionals and 16 amateur qualifiers, was a huge success when it was held for the first time at Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre on Monday night.

Britton eventually beat Eliz Maloney, another British professional, in the final to win £1,000 and a trip to Melbourne where she will have a wild card to play in January’s Million Dollar One Point Slam, which is set to include some of the biggest names in world tennis.

Britton beat Eden Silva, another of the British pros to take part in the event, in the semi-finals, while the other last four clash saw Maloney get the better of Wrexham’s Andy Cree, who enjoyed the best run by an amateur player.

A coin toss decided which player would have the choice to serve or receive in the one-point knockout matches, with the pros having just one serve and the amateurs two, with the fun event producing plenty of drama and some excellent rallies.

Champion Britton, 15, won both the under-16s and under-18s titles at the Lexus Junior National Championships earlier this year and has received a main draw wild card to this week’s World Tennis Tour W100 event in North Wales.

Reflecting on winning the One Point Grand, Britton said: “I did not expect to win at all. I just hoped to get through the first or second round. It’s a lot different to what we’re used to in normal matches and there were definitely a lot of pros, including me, feeling the pressure. It was a great experience and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”

Dave Courteen, the Lexus Wrexham Open promoter, added: “It was a fantastic night and thanks to everyone who took part and also everyone who came along to support our first One Point Grand. There was a great reaction from people and it’s certainly something we are looking forward to doing again next year.

“The entries for the amateur players came from as far as Cardiff and Manchester, as well as North Wales, and everyone had a really good experience, with Andy Cree, a local player, making it through to the semi-finals. It was wonderful to see an amateur player from Wrexham go that deep into the event.

“Congratulations to Daniella Britton. She is already going to Melbourne in January to play in the Junior Australian Open, but she is very excited to now also have a wild card to play in the Million Dollar One Point Slam qualifiers, and the hope is she will be able to get through to play against some of the world’s top stars in front of 15,000 fans at the Rod Laver Arena.”

Britton was presented with the trophy for winning the event by Michael Williamson, the chief executive officer of Wrexham AFC, who also played in the One Point Grand after receiving a wild card.

The Lexus Wrexham Open, which features a number of players currently ranked in the world’s top 200, is the biggest women’s tennis tournament, outside of the grass court season, in the UK this year. It takes place on the indoor courts at Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre this week, with both the singles and doubles finals on Sunday.

Pictured: Daniella Britton, the winner of the Lexus Wrexham Open’s first One Point Grand, with, left, Wrexham’s Andy Cree, who enjoyed the best run of any amateur tennis player, and Michael Williamson, the chief executive officer of Wrexham AFC.

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