Robson’s doubles delight forces her to miss Edgbaston singles
IN a bizarre twist, Laura Robson’s semi-final triumph in the women’s doubles in Nottingham yesterday was bad news for her plans to play at the high-profile Aegon Classic in Birmingham.
The 23-year-old has been forced out of the Edgbaston tournament because of the overlap between the two Wimbledon warm-up tournaments.
There was talk of Robson having to travel down the M42 had she lost in Nottingham yesterday, as the Brit was also scheduled to play Japan’s Miyu Kato later in the day.
It did not happen as Robson and partner Jocelyn Rae beat Britain’s Heather Watson and American Christina McHale 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 to seal their spot in the final today.
Asked about Birmingham, Robson, who is hopeful of a Wimbledon wildcard, said: ‘It’s the WTA rules. Because I’m in the final here, I can’t play in the qualifiers there.
‘It’s a shame that I can’t play qualifiers in Birmingham but I’m very excited to be in the doubles final.’
Neither Robson nor Rae have won a WTA title in their careers. Standing in their way is Australian duo Monique Adamczak and Storm Sanders.
Johanna Konta had a chance to get into a second final at Nottingham yesterday but she lost in the semis 6-1, 3-6, 10-6 with American partner Yanina Wickmayer to Adamczak and Sanders.