Ilkley Trophy: Naiktha Bains beaten by Akua Stoiber in battle of the Brits

Bains, 24, edged the first set after both players held serve throughout by winning the tie-break 7-4.

Stoiber responded excellently, racing into a 4-0 second set lead before Bains finally got on the board and pulled back one of the service breaks for 2-4.

The teenager, who is still unranked by the Women’s Tennis Association, faced pressure from Bains in her final two service games where she saved five break points and wrapped up the set 6-4.

The match headed to a 10-point match-deciding tie-break which Stoiber won to wrap up the match 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 10-6 and head into her first main draw at the ITF 100 level.

After losing out in the battle of the Brits, Bains said: “I think we both played well, it was a pretty high-quality match. I was happy with the way I played and competed.

“It’s small margins, points here and there that could go either way and today it didn’t go my way unfortunately.

“A point here or there in the breaker was the difference, it is tough with a third set tie-break so that was a bit frustrating.

“I can’t be too disappointed with the way I played and competed out there so I’ll look at the positives and take them forward into my next match.”

Joining Stoiber in the women’s main draw will be Scotland’s Maia Lumsden and Anna Brogan who both progressed in final set tie-breaks.

Lumsden, 24, started the play on centre court against former top-30 Urszula Radwanska from Poland and knocked out the 12th seed with a 4-6 6-2 10-7 victory.

Brogan played American Elvina Ekvina Kalieva and beat the 257-ranked seventh seed 6-4 2-6 10-8.

The good news for the Brits continued in the men’s qualifying as Charles Broom and Daniel Cox both qualified for the main draw of the ATP Challenger.

Broom, 24, who is ranked 431, followed up his shock win against Gilles Simon with a 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 win against Jason Jung from Taiwan.

Daniel Cox, who made the Wimbledon main draw in 2011 and 2014, continued to show good form on the grass.

The 31-year-old from Lincoln entertained the centre court crowd in a three-set battle, beating Switzerland’s world no. 307 Antoine Bellier 6-4 4-6 6-2.

Following Cox’s win on centre was the start of the men’s main draw where former world number 7 Fernando Verdasco played Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, himself a former top-80 player.

The popular Spaniard won the first set 6-0 before his opponent had to retire with injury during the first game of the second set.

Former Wimbledon and Olympic doubles champion Jack Sock won the battle of the highly-rated Americans 6-3 6-3 against Michael Mmoh in the final match of day two.

Elsewhere there were first round wins for world no. 71 Jiri Vesely, France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert, as well as defeat for 19-year-old Brit Arthur Fery at the hands of Constant Lestienne.