Taylah Preston Captures Odlum Brown VanOpen Title, Rises to a Career-High No. 103

Photo Credit: Bo Mon Kwan

Taylah Preston captured the biggest title of her career in spectacular fashion.

Preston got off to a slow start in the final, dropping her first two service games vs opponent Maddison Inglis, but quickly found her rhythm. Preston responded by winning the next four service games and surged ahead in the opening set.

Fellow Australian Maddison Inglis entered the championship match holding a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Preston. After falling behind 4-2, Inglis fought back brilliantly to force a first-set tiebreak.

Fans who had enjoyed an exciting week of tennis at the Odlum Brown VanOpen were treated to yet another thrilling tiebreak that came down to the wire. Inglis, no stranger to big matches, brought plenty of experience into the final. Earlier this year, Inglis reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where she faced 6-time Singles Slam Champion Iga Swiatek, and earned a major victory over former top 40 hard-hitting American Alycia Parks at Queen's Club. Earlier in the week, Inglis had also recovered from losing a tiebreak to Japan's Moyuka Uchijima before prevailing in the quarterfinals.

As Preston continued to showcase her speed, athleticism, and relentless court coverage, she raced out to a 5-1 lead in the first-set tiebreak. Inglis mounted one last charge and had a chance to level the breaker at 5-5, but Preston held her nerve to close it out 7-6(5).

Preston's confidence only grew in the second set. She won 75% of Inglis' second-serve points and converted 50% of her break-point opportunities. Inglis continued to display tremendous resilience, but Preston was simply too strong in the biggest moments. Preston converted 4 of her 6 break-point chances (66.7%), consistently raising her level when the pressure was highest.

The victory capped off a remarkable week for Preston as she claimed the biggest championship of her career. The title also propelled her to a live ranking of No. 103 in the world. Outside of players using protected rankings, that ranking is high enough to earn direct entry into every Grand Slam main draw.

After a memorable week at the Odlum Brown VanOpen, a beautiful venue that delivered outstanding tennis, Preston summed it up perfectly during the post-match ceremony.

"This is my new favorite tournament on tour, and I can't wait to be back next year."

Ricky Boone is tennis journalist that believes female athletes empower the world.