Nottingham Open: Hannah Klugman beats Marie Bozkova in second round

Klugman went down an early break against Buzkova but responded well, showing some nifty defense before returning on serve to hit a passing forehand winner past the Czech.

She also made three break points for a 5-3 lead but Bozkova saved them before winning the last three games to close out the set.

Klugman became more error-prone in the second set, finishing with 45 unforced errors to 29 winners and nine double faults as Bozkova took control.

However, it was still an important week for the highly-rated Briton as he made the transition from junior to senior ranks.

“She’s such a quality player and there are glimpses of some good things from me, so there are a lot of positives,” Klugman said of Bozkova.

“Mentally, I was great today and the crowd was amazing to play at home.”

In Queens, fourth-seeded Alejandro Davidovic Fokina advanced to the quarter-finals after beating France’s Corentin Mautet.

The Spaniard has a superstition about wearing one black sock and one white sock – and joked that he might seek an exemption from Wimbledon’s all-white dress code.

“It was a long time ago, I wore weird socks and won that match and now I keep wearing them,” he said.

“I have to ask at Wimbledon if I can wear weird socks.”

Davidovich Fokina will face 2024 champion Tommy Paul for a place in the semi-finals.

elsewhere, French Open champion Alexander Zverev Halle reached the quarter-finals with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over fellow German Yannick Hanfmann.

Big-serving American Ben Shelton also advanced to set up a meeting with compatriot Taylor Fritz, who he defeated in the Stuttgart Open final on Sunday.