Queen's hails Queen Maria after a triumphant return

A resoundingly successful opening week for west London's new women's tournament was capped off by Tatjana Maria winning the biggest title of her career, writes Flo Clifford

- Flo Clifford

Fifty-two years ago, Olga Morozova became the last woman to lift the Queen's trophy. Her stint as defending champion lasted until Tatjana Maria lifted an enormous new trophy - the old one lost to the mists of time - on Sunday. It crowned a week in which the traditions of one of the game's most hallowed tournaments merged with the contemporary drive to push women's sport to even greater heights.

This time a year ago, there was outrage from some quarters at the thought that women would return to Queen's after half a century's absence. Members of the prestigious west London club objected to their facilities being taken out of action for even longer than usual; there were concerns over wear on the grass ahead of the men's event. A bloc of Queen's members even attempted to force the board to resign over the concept of dragging the tournament into the 21st century.

If that felt hideously backwards last year, it appears even more near-sighted today, after a triumphant week for the rejuvenated women's event. (Even the British weather largely cooperated, barring a couple of rain delays early on.)

And it felt fitting that the tournament's debut would have two trailblazers, in different ways, in the final.

The surprise package of the week has been qualifier Maria. A 37-year-old veteran of the tour, she took two breaks from the game to have daughters Charlotte, 11, and Cecilia, four, who accompany her - along with her coach-husband Charles-Edouard -to every tournament.

The German reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2022 but hasn't found the same level since, enduring a nine-match losing streak before coming to Queen's. "It's the perfect example to never give up and always keep going, because I'm still here and living this dream," she said on Friday. It certainly is.