Laura Robson wins ITF 60k Kurume tournament to move back inside world rankings top 200

Robson will move to 169th after claiming the biggest tournament win of her career

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The Independent Online

Laura Robson will surge back into the top 200 of the rankings after she won the ITF 60k Kurume tournament in Japan.

The 23-year-old, playing at the level below the WTA, beat fellow Briton Katie Boulter 6-3 6-4 to claim her third ITF title - and the biggest of her career - and rise to 169 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

The success represents another step in Robson's attempts to return to the elite of the women's game after her promising career was derailed by injury.

The former Wimbledon junior champion was ranked as high as 27 in 2013 after reaching the fourth round at SW19 before a wrist problem, which saw her undergo two rounds of surgery, curtailed her progress.

She has struggled to reach those heights again following her return to the game at the beginning of 2016 and had to drop down a level to rebuild her game and ranking.

Robson has not played in the main draw of a WTA event since the US Open in August, but that is set to change this summer as she is likely to earn wildcards to some of the British grass-court tournaments, including Wimbledon.

It was an impressive week for Boulter as well and she will climb to a career high ranking, somewhere in the 240s.

PA

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