Defending Champion Angelique Kerber has announced her participation in this years Aegon Classic. She will be joined by Romanian and number five seed Simona Halep. Madison Keys will also join the two top ten players in the field that is beginning to look strong. The tournament is set for June 11-19.
Defending Champion returns
Angelique Kerber will return to Birmingham to defend her title. Last year the German defeated Karolina Pliskova in a third round tiebreaker.
The world number two who shocked Serena Williams at the Australian Open to land her first Grand Slam, lifted her first grass court title in Birmingham last year.
The German spoke to the Aegon Classic website and said, “I’m really happy to come back to Birmingham. A lot has happened since I won there but it turned out to be a really big week for me."
“It’s a great tournament and a really cool city, where people really love sport. I’ve always really enjoyed playing there, which is why winning the title in 2015 was very special.”
Simona Halep announced
The Romanian who made the quarterfinals in 2015 will be looking to go one further as she announces herself for Birmingham.
Halep, a former French Open finalist and semifinalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open, was one of the more popular players at the Edgbaston Priory Club last year.
The Romanian last won a grass court title in 2013, where she defeated Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-2 to claim the title at TopShelf Open in the Netherlands. She will be looking to add to her trophy cabinet ahead of Wimbledon.
Madison Keys joins Kerber and Halep
US rising star, Madison Keys make a stop on the tour at Birmingham ahead of Wimbledon.
Keys is currently ranked 24 and was a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2014 as a 20 year old.
The American memorably captured her first ever WTA title in Eastbourne in 2014, beating two top ten players along the way and is also considered a huge threat.
Patrick Hughesman on Birmingham
Tournament Director, Patrick Hughesman had a few words to say about the tournament, "We're proud to say that the Aegon Classic Birmingham is now one of the most prestigious stops on the WTA tour and 2016 will see the tournament attract more world class players than ever before. It will be a fantastic day out for everyone coming to the Edgbaston Priory Club this June to watch the tennis and to cheer on the stars of the WTA."