The biggest women’s UK tennis tournament of 2019 is being held in Shropshire at The Shrewsbury Club from the 11th to the 16th February. The World Tennis Tour W60, sponsored by Budgen Motors, is a prestigious $60,000 event attracting top class, talented players.
Heather Watson and Katie Boulter are set to lead a strong British challenge with German star Sabine Lisicki, runner-up in the 2013 Wimbledon singles final, also on the initial acceptance list. Boulter, the British No. 2, is currently ranked 97 in world and reached the second round of the Australian Open earlier this month. Their Great Britain Fed Cup team mates Harriet Dart and Katie Swan are also in line to compete. French ace Oceane Dodin, champion at The Shrewsbury Club in both 2013 and 2014, and the Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova, currently second in the world doubles rankings, are among the players from around the world to have entered.
For the first time ever there will be evening matches so spectators can squeeze in a post work match, complimenting the busy daytime schedules on offer. Additional stadium seating will be installed to accommodate the anticipated high attendance.
There will be a range of hospitality event evenings over the week, with great food and entertainment adding to the enjoyment of world class tennis.
There will be free admission until the quarter finals, with tickets then available for the advanced stages of the tournament – which is a requirement of the International Tennis Federation. The tournament will also be live streamed around the world via the ITF website.
The invitation to host the tournament follows The Shrewsbury Club successfully staging a number of smaller $25,000 GB Pro-Series events on its indoor courts. Dave Courteen, The Shrewsbury Club’s managing director, commented:
“This tournament is incredibly exciting for The Shrewsbury Club, and we are thrilled to have so many established players descending on the county. There are very few tournaments held at this level in the UK, so for The Shrewsbury Club to be chosen is a huge honour. It also shows just how much the town engages with our tennis tournaments. We are hugely grateful to Tennis Shropshire, the clubs locally, and all the tennis fans that come along and watch. It is because of this support that we get such big turn outs to our events, and why the LTA want us to host this large-scale event.”
