Boulter beats Dart in marathon Nottingham match

Defending champion Katie Boulter edged retired Harriet Dart successful a marathon all-British necktie to scope nan 2nd information of nan Nottingham Open.

Opening her grass-court season, 3rd seed Boulter won 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5 successful a title lasting 3 hours and 13 minutes.

British number 1 Boulter's triumph successful Nottingham 12 months agone marked her first WTA title.

The 27-year-old will play Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland aliases Canada's Rebecca Marino next.

"That was an absolute battle," said Boulter, classed 30th successful nan world.

"[Dart] is an unthinkable grass-court player. I tried to do nan champion I could because she was playing earnestly bully stuff.

"I would person taken a overmuch easier win, that's for sure. I'm not judge I've seen a 3 hour, 13 infinitesimal grass-court match. I'm not judge that's possible."

Both players struggled to clasp service successful nan opening set, pinch 4 breaks apiece earlier a tie-break was needed to abstracted them.

Searching for a speedy response, Boulter collapsed Dart's service successful nan first crippled of nan 2nd group earlier holding to extremity a tally of 5 consecutive breaks.

During a lengthy seventh crippled successful which she doubly saved break point, Dart many times based on pinch nan chair umpire complete what she believed was an incorrect, "embarrassing" statement call.

Their heated chat continued into nan alteration of ends, pinch Dart offering a £50,000 stake that nan shot successful mobility was out.

An unperturbed Boulter proceeded to service retired nan group astatine nan first opportunity to unit nan decider.

She collapsed early connected and looked to beryllium taking control, only for Dart bring nan group backmost connected service successful a drawn-out sixth game, doing truthful connected her 5th break point.

But Boulter soon collapsed again and served retired nan triumph connected her 3rd lucifer point.

Earlier, British number 5 Heather Watson progressed to nan 2nd information pinch a 4-6 6-0 6-4 rain-disrupted triumph complete American Kayla Day.

Watson will adjacent look sixth seed Karolina Pliskova of nan Czech Republic.

Fellow Briton Emma Raducanu will statesman her Nottingham run connected Tuesday against Japan's Ena Shibahara, while apical seed and world number 10 Ons Jabeur opens against Colombia's Camila Osorio.

Elsewhere, Jack Draper sewage his writer play disconnected to a winning start, reaching nan 2nd information of nan Stuttgart Open wherever he could meet chap Briton Andy Murray.

British number 2 Draper defeated Austrian Sebastian Ofner 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).

"When it came down to it, I'm gladsome I competed really difficult and sewage complete nan line. It's bully to beryllium backmost connected nan grass," Draper, 22, said successful his on-court interview.

Murray starts his Stuttgart run against American Marcos Giron connected Tuesday.

The 37-year-old is preparing for what looks group to beryllium his last Wimbledon, having antecedently said he does not scheme connected "playing overmuch beyond nan summer".

He will squad up pinch relative Jamie successful nan men's doubles astatine Wimbledon successful what will beryllium their first Grand Slam quality arsenic a pair.

Earlier this month, Jamie Murray told BBC Sport it was "now aliases never" for nan brothers to play together.

Wimbledon starts connected 1 July.