Sarah Beth Grey eyeing Surbiton silverware – Eurosport

Sarah Beth Grey insists the hard work is paying off as just one match stands between her and the LTA’s Lexus Surbiton Trophy silverware.

The Liverpool tennis lefty fought brilliantly alongside new doubles partner Tara Moore to defeat Swiss pair Viktorija Golubic and Celine Naef 7-6(5) 2-6 13-11 in a scintillating semi-final clash.

The duo, who played together for the first time in Portugal last week, will face Emina Bektas and Aleksandra Krunic in Friday’s showpiece women’s doubles final.

And Grey, 28, who overcame a wrist injury which saw her miss the entire grass-court season last year, is quietly confident ahead of her shot at a maiden 2024 title.

She said: “It’s great, I definitely didn’t expect it at all, this is a lovely surprise that we’ve got through the to the final.

“Me being a lefty, that works really well being on the grass, it’s quite uncomfortable to return my serve.

“Tara is great at the net so I’m setting her up well to finish off volleys and vice versa, she serves really well too, I get a lot of opportunities with her.

“I’m really excited, it’s great to play a final, especially at home, they don’t come around often so we’re just going to take it in our stride and play our best tomorrow.

“It was quite a tricky process coming back, I think I lost about eight first rounds in a row, it took a while to build that confidence to really go after my shots again.

“I’ve just been plugging away, keeping my head down and playing a lot of tournaments with as much momentum as I can.”

Grey competed earlier in the week against Rebecca Marino in the first round of the women’s singles but fell short with a loss in straight sets.

Following a challenging few years, which included coming back from a heart abnormality in 2022, Grey feels she is perfectly placed in her career to keep improving at every opportunity.

She said: “That was a tough match at the start of this week but I feel like I’m playing well in both.

“If I can put my game on the court on the day then there is no reason why I can’t do well in these tournaments.

“This time last year I was really focused on the next grass season so I’m really happy so far that I’ve managed to perform well.

“It’s great to be in the position to play after the last few years that I’ve had, there have been a lot of different setbacks so I’m really happy to be here and improving as well.

“I still feel at my age that I’m improving my game which is a great feeling.”

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website