WIMBLEDON CHAMPION MUGURUZA

JOINS KONTA AND KVITOVA IN BIRMINGHAM

(February 19, 2018) Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza will begin the defence of her Wimbledon title with a return to The Birmingham Classic.

Muguruza’s run to the semi-finals at Edgbaston Priory Club in 2017 proved to be a stepping stone towards lifting the trophy at Wimbledon three weeks later.

The Spanish star, who also won Roland Garros in 2016, joins an all-star field at The Birmingham Classic, which runs 16 – 24 June 2018. Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and Great Britain’s Johanna Konta have both signed up to play at the prestigious WTA Premier event.

“It was an incredible few weeks for me playing on the grass last year,” said Muguruza currently ranked 3 in the WTA Rankings. “Winning my first Wimbledon title was so special and I can’t wait to play in front of British crowds again.

“The courts in Birmingham are great and it’s always a very strong line-up of players. It’s a wonderful event that I always enjoy playing.”

The Birmingham Classic is the most prestigious annual women’s sporting event in the Midlands. It boasts a total of $871,028 in prize-money and has an important place in Birmingham’s sporting history. Kvitova is defending champion and previous winners include Li Na, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.

The Birmingham Classic tournament director Patrick Hughesman said:

“Having the reigning Wimbledon champion join us again in Birmingham is fantastic news. Garbiñe reached the World No.1 ranking in September 2017 and was awarded WTA Player of the Year for 2017 so she is definitely one of the biggest stars of the women’s game right now and we look forward to welcoming her back to the Edgbaston Priory Club. With Jo Konta and Petra Kvitova also committed to play and more big names due to enter, our player field is set to be extremely strong this year.”