After 12 matches in Austin, Ella McDonald leaves with two championships and a main draw wildcard into the 2027 ATX Open.
Ella McDonald capped off a remarkable week at the Dropshot Women’s Pro Tennis Open on Saturday, defeating No. 5 seed Madison Brengle 7-5, 6-1 to capture the singles championship at Courtyard Racquet Club. The British qualifier completed a sweep of both singles and doubles titles after competing in 12 matches throughout the tournament.
McDonald’s road to the singles championship began in qualifying, where she earned her place in the main draw before defeating No. 6 seed Iryna Shymanovich 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round. She followed with a straight-set victory over Rose Marie Nijkamp before battling past Rebecca Munk Mortensen 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
In Friday’s semifinals, McDonald defeated Anastasia Tikhonova 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to secure her place in the championship match. McDonald carried that momentum into Saturday’s final, taking the opening set 7-5 before closing out the match 6-1 to claim the singles title.
McDonald had already secured her first championship of the week on Friday, teaming up with former Texas Longhorn Kylie Collins to win the doubles title. The No. 4 seeds defeated Ashley Lahey and Alexandra Vagramov 6-0, 6-1 in just 52 minutes, giving McDonald the opportunity to compete for a second trophy less than 24 hours later.
Along with the singles championship, McDonald earns an automatic main draw wildcard into the ATX Open, a WTA 250 tournament returning to Austin in February 2027. The opportunity marks another milestone for the current LSU Tiger, who will have the chance to compete on the WTA Tour in the same city where she captured both titles.
Ella McDonald also earned a wildcard into the 2027 ATX Open main draw with her singles title.