SERENA Nash will head off to America with a spring in her step after returning to the winners' circle.

The 18-year-old from Bradford triumphed in the AEGON British Tour women's singles final at Ilkley – her first victory at that level since an indoor event in Taunton last November.

Top seed Nash, who defeated 19-year-old fourth seed Emma Wilson 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in a competitive final which lasted 1hr 39min, is going to Oklahoma State University in the autumn.

The Immanuel College pupil, who has just taken A-Levels in media studies, history and English literature, said: "It feels great to be a winner again, and I really wanted to win it, especially as it is my local British Tour event."

Nash, who is coached by Laurence Kelly at Halifax Queens and Batley, had lost her last two British Tour finals at Bolton and Loughborough University earlier this year, and said: "I started well but the first set was close and I felt I played a good tie-break.

"I had chances to lead 4-2 in the second but messed them up, and I would have been disappointed had I lost."

Wilson, who is from Newcastle but is about to return for her second year at Fresno State University in California, was playing only her third tournament since April due to a shoulder injury, and served for the first set at 6-5.

However, Nash, who intends to play tennis full-time when she has finished university, broke back and took the tie-break 7-2 against an opponent who had won ten of her 15 rubbers the previous week for Northumberland in County Week – enough of a test for anyone's shoulder.

Wilson said: "I played well this week at Ilkley but Serena played a better tie-break."

A British Tour quarter-finalist at Nottingham earlier this year, Wilson started the slower against a harder-hitting more determined opponent but recovered to play a full part in a contest that featured plenty of service breaks.

The men's singles final, which highly unusually was between unseeded players (Joe Woolley from Lincolnshire and Nicholas Brookes from Kent), only lasted 14 minutes longer, despite it going to three sets.

Woolley, 18, from Boston, eventually won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 but was in danger of not completing the match against his 17-year-old opponent from Sevenoaks.

"It was my fourth three-set match out of five in the event over a few days and I was cramping in my 'glutes'," said Woolley.

"But I have had a really good time as I rented out a cottage in Skipton with some mates and it has been like having a holiday, but with tennis too."

As far as the Ilkley Open is concerned, there were victories in the women's doubles for host club members Zoe Judkowski and Isabelle Hearnshaw, with the latter taking the mixed doubles with George Trudgill.

Cheryl Hagel and Penny Hunt won the women's doubles handicap, the latter's son Steven won the handicap men's singles, while Amber Woffindin partnered Jayanne Palma to victory in the girls' under 16 doubles, and Andrew Hutchinson took the men's over-45 singles.

In junior singles, there were victories for home club members Harry Abel in the boys' nine and under singles and Jack Winterbottom in the eight & under mixed singles, defeating clubmate Thomas Nailer.