TENNIS star Elena Baltacha is to be honoured a year after her death by a trophy named after her.

The winner of this year's inaugural Aegon Open in Nottingham will be presented with the Elena Baltacha Trophy, in memory of the former British number one who died aged 30 after a battle with liver cancer.

Ms Baltacha, who was born in the Ukraine but grew up in Perth and Paisley in Scotland, died on May 4 2014, only months after retiring from competitive tennis.

She won her 11th and final International Tennis Federation (ITF) title in Nottingham in 2013 and it was announced on Monday that a newly-commissioned trophy bearing her name will be awarded to the winner of the tournament next month.

The trophy is described as an art nouveau-style bowl in sterling silver, measuring 24 centimetres tall with a diameter of 26 centimetres.

Her long-time coach and widower Nino Severino, who wed Ms Baltacha in 2013, said: "The loss of our darling Bally is a heartbreak that will never go away. It's very touching that the British Tennis family is remembering her this way.

"We're all working together to keep her legacy alive through the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis and getting more kids of all backgrounds playing tennis."

Judy Murray, Great Britain's Fed Cup captain, said: "This is a wonderful way to remember Bally. She was one of the best competitors I ever saw and had a lot of success at the Nottingham event. I know she would be thrilled with this."

The Aegon Open Nottingham will see two tournaments take place in June, with the women's WTA event running from June 8-14 and the men's ATP competition held from June 20-27.

Meanwhile, staff and pupils at the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis (EBAT) paid tribute to their "selfless" founder.

In a statement, the academy said: "A big thank you to everyone who has been involved in this wonderful project over the past 12 months, players, parents, staff and all who have been so kind to make a donation - everyone has played their part in keeping this dream alive and ensuring that Elena's vision and legacy continues.

"Over 9000 school children have been given an opportunity to pick up a racket over the past 12 months. Why? Because of Bally's vision and because of you. Every single donation helps - gives an opportunity, a dream."