MANX tennis ace Billy Harris hopes to reap the rewards of the confidence gained at the UK Pro League after winning Week 6 of the competition in Chelsea. 

The Premier League of British tennis, the innovative format is the only domestic competition for the UK’s top professionals and brings them together for nine weeks of action to qualify for the UK Pro League Finals Week in November.                    

Harris, 26, started his week with a group stage loss to Week 1 winner Josh Paris – before turning his fortunes around to win four matches on the spin at the Chelsea Harbour Club.                                                               

The Isle of Man star lost to Paris in that Week 1 final but defeated Week 5 winner Charles Broom 6-3, 3-6, 10-2 in the Week 6 showpiece to claim his first Pro League victory and rise to the top of the league rankings.                                                                                                       
And Harris, who memorably played 42 matches in 42 days at last season’s UK Pro Series, said: “I started very well. I served a high percentage on my serve and I was hardly missing anything in the first set. I felt like I was seeing the ball well.                                   

“In the second set I lost concentration halfway through, I missed a couple of forehands and got broken.      

                                                                                                              
“In the tiebreak I managed to get it back together. I served well, had a good start and then momentum took care of itself.  

                                                                                               
“I’m very happy with the week. It’s my first win after a few finals!”                                                

Despite having just won Week 6, Harris is already setting his sights firmly on playing in Week 7 at the University of Bath and hopes to use the confidence he’s gained this week to his advantage in the coming weeks.                                                                                              

He added: “I started with a loss and learnt a couple of things from that match, and then played better each round.                                                                                                                                     
“I’ve gained a lot of confidence after winning the last four matches. I’m back playing indoors which is nice. I served better as the week went on and I’m looking forward to the next one in Bath.                                                                                                                                                         
“The prize money helps fund the trips away that I’ll be doing in a few weeks’ time. After Bath I’m planning to go to Doha for three tournaments so it’s perfect preparation.”                          

With a prize fund of around £500k and Broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv, the UK Pro League is the only place where the British player group come together to compete across the full year.