ALTRINCHAM tennis star Samantha Murrayclinched the women’s singles titles at the GB Pro Series tournament in Chiswick.

The LTA summer hard-court event is part of the ITF World Tennis Tour $25k series, and is another opportunity for British stars to earn ranking points and prize money at home.

Murray upset the odds to beat the Netherlands’ Lesley Kerkhove, ranked 153 places above her, in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to claim her first title of the year.

The 31-year-old has been in particularly good form this year, narrowly missing out on qualifying for Wimbledon’s main draw and enjoying an excellent run to the Manchester Trophy semi-finals in June.

Murray said: “This is a big achievement for me and I’m so pleased to have won at Chiswick.

"It was a strong entry list but I was able to perform better with each match and to have gone all the way is a great feeling.

"Hopefully, I can build on this now and have a strong second half of the year.”

The tournaments are part of an expanded international calendar of events being staged by the LTA in Britain this year, providing a showcase for tennis outside of the traditional summer grass-court season and opening up the sport to more fans around the country.

The move is also part of the LTA’s new long-term performance strategy, and aims to provide more opportunities for British players to compete, earn ranking points and win prize money in the UK.