Ajla Tomljanovic’s dream of finally winning her first WTA tennis title after 15 years of slog has been shattered after she fell frustratingly short once again in the final of the Birmingham Classic. For the Australian stalwart, who had reached four previous WTA finals only to be beaten in them all, it was deja vu as Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva won 6-1 7-6 in a grass-court showdown for the Maud Watson Trophy at Edgbaston on Sunday.
But she was left proud that, down in the rankings at 190 after her injury problems, she will be back up to 135 next week and in form for another crack at Wimbledon where she’s twice previously reached the quarter-finals. And behind the scenes Wimbledon was rallying around the seemingly unaware Tomljanovic. The All England Club confirmed just hours after the Birmingham final that she had been awarded a wildcard for the grand slam.