British star Heather Watson is to headline the player field at the Manchester Trophy taking place from 10-16 June at the historic Northern Lawn Tennis Club, West Didsbury.
Watson, whose father is from Swinton, Manchester is eager to return to the city where half her family are from. The tennis star, who won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2016 with partner Henri Kontinen has found form recently with a tournament win in Fukuoka, Japan defeating 2017 Manchester Trophy champion Zarina Diyas in the final 7-6(1) 7-6 (4). She was also part of the winning Fed Cup team that successfully secured promotion to the World Group for the first time since 1993.
Joining Watson in the main draw will be 2017 Manchester Trophy champion Diyas from Kazakhstan as well as former world junior No.1 and 2017 Roland Garros junior champion Whitney Osuigew from USA.
View the full player entry list.
Tennis fans will also get to try out their own skills ahead of the tournament at a pop up tennis event in Albert Square on Saturday 1 June and Sunday 2 June. Everyone is invited to stop by and give tennis a go.
Alongside the main event from 10-16 June a host of activities for children and ticket holders will be taking place throughout the week including the Quorn Family Cup for parents and children, the Team Challenge, giving local players an opportunity to play on world-class grass courts and She Rallies, aimed at getting more women and girls engaged in the sport. Around 700 local school children will also have the chance to visit the event and experience world-class live tennis.
Who said what?
Heather Watson said:
“I can’t wait to head back to Manchester, my dad is a Mancunian, I love the city and I still have family there so it will be a great opportunity to catch up with some of them as I don’t get to visit very often.”
LTA Tournament Director, Richard Joyner said:
“Now the acceptance list is out, it really brings home how close we are to the event. This is the third year of this $100,000 event in Manchester and is the highest prize money on offer for a women’s professional event in the north west. This year’s initial player list looks like it’s our strongest to date, and the Manchester Trophy is a great opportunity to see the players in action close up. Our winners from the past two years both went on to good performances at Wimbledon. The players seem to really enjoy coming to Manchester to compete on the great grass courts at the Northern, with a number of them returning for a third consecutive year.”
Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure, Councillor Luthfur Rahman, said:
“We're proud to celebrate and encourage tennis here in Manchester and the Manchester Trophy is an important part of our strong calendar of world-class sporting events. This event provides a great chance to watch elite players like Heather in action and also offers plenty of opportunities for women and girls to try the sport for themselves.
"Encouraging more women and girls to get active is one of our key priorities and the Manchester Trophy adds to a long list of top women's sporting events hosted here this year, to help us achieve this goal."
What happened last year?
Ons Jabeur dropped just three games as she cruised to victory over No.5 seed Sara Sorribes Tormo in the singles final. The Tunisian has been in imperious form all week, not dropping a set on her way to the title, and was too powerful for her Spanish opponent, triumphing 6-2, 6-1 in 62 minutes.
Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum and India’s Prarthana Thombare won the doubles final, defeating Stockport’s Naomi Broady and her partner Asia Muhammad (USA), the top seeds, 7-6(5), 6-3 to lift the trophy. The No. 4 seeds had needed a match tiebreak to prevail in their three previous matches but recorded a more straightforward victory in Sunday’s first match on Centre Court.
Catch courtside action this summer
Watch the stars in action and secure your ticket today. Tickets start from £9 plus booking fee with free entry for children ages 16 and under with a paying adult.