It's been the best part of a quarter of a century since a British woman last won a Women's Tennis Association singles title, so Heather Watson deserves all the toasts raised in her honour after winning the Japan Open. This may not be the most competitive of tournaments, but the fact she came back after almost winning, then losing, the second set, and saved four match points before clinching victory, shows a strength of character that augurs well.

It was a pity that Andy Murray could not make it a weekend British double and crown his extraordinary summer of success. He lost to his old foe, Novak Djokovic, in the final of the Shanghai Masters. But Watson should savour her success on the other side of the world. Winning creates its own pressures. Now she has a whole winter to acclimatise before Wimbledon, when – inevitably – all-England will expect.