Heather Watson and Harriet Dart won the W100 Gifu doubles title in Japan after recovering from a slow start in the final. They beat Catherine Harrison and Dalayna Hewitt 3-6, 6-3, 10-4, and the result gave the British pair their second tournament together since 2024.
Watson and Dart in Gifu
The final turned after Watson and Dart dropped the opening set, then levelled the match 6-3 before taking the deciding tiebreak 10-4. Harrison and Hewitt, the USA pairing, had the better start, but the British duo found a sharper return game and steadier point construction once the match moved into the second set.
That comeback mattered because this was only their second event as a team since 2024. They did not need a long run to settle in; they needed one final to turn into a title, and Gifu delivered that outcome.
Former Nottingham finalists
The win also fits a wider pattern for Watson and Dart, who were former Nottingham finalists. This title adds another doubles success for a British pair in a week that also featured several other British wins in the format.
For Watson, the Japan result gives her a clean headline: a title won against a US pair, after losing the first set, with a 10-4 finish that left no room for a late swing. For Dart, it is the same kind of payoff — a title in a match that tightened and then turned when they held the middle of the contest.
The practical takeaway is simple for anyone tracking British doubles: Watson and Dart already have a title from a partnership that has barely been used since 2024, and the final scoreline shows they can reset quickly after a slow opening set. Gifu was not a long march to the trophy; it was a sharp response after the first set slipped away.
