Three wildcard players have been announced for this year’s Aegon Classic ladies tennis tournament, taking the British contingent in the main draw to five.
Johanna Konta, Anne Keothavong and Tara Moore will join fellow Brits Laura Robson and Heather Watson in the prestigious women’s-only tennis tournament, which kicks off of Sunday 9th June at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Priory Club.
British No.3 Johanna Konta joins the tournament ranked as No.166 in the world, having won seven ITF Women’s Circuit titles. Johanna is currently competing in the Aegon Trophy in Nottingham, where she is through to the semi-finals having beaten Alison Riske in the quarter-finals.
British No.4 Keothavong, has won 20 International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles so far in her career. The former British No.1 upset eventual Aegon International champion Tamira Paszek at last year’s event.
British No.5 and WTA 195-ranked player Moore, joins the player field following her wins at the ITF women’s singles tournaments in Preston and Glasgow earlier this year. Moore also went on to win the ITF’s tennis title in Surprise, Arizona.
Patrick Hughesman, tournament director for the Aegon Classic, said: “The wildcards have provided us with an opportunity for us to support the British players, allowing them to go straight in the main draw, without having to go through qualifying. We’ve got a really strong player field this year and we’re looking forward to seeing some great matches taking place during the week.”
Offering a chance to see first rate tennis, the Aegon Classic is one of the UK’s major tournaments ahead of The Championships, Wimbledon, returning to Birmingham’s Edgbaston Priory Club for the 32nd year.
The new centre court is part of a £5 million investment by the LTA into the Edgbaston Priory Club to provide a world class tournament venue for the players. The new facilities also include a six court indoor tennis centre and four new outside grass courts.
Tickets for the Aegon Classic, including Ladies Day on Thursday 13th June, are still on sale priced from £5 for children (aged 16 and under) and £10 for adults at www.aegonclassic.co.uk/tickets.