One of this year’s Wimbledon ladies’ singles semi-finalists is set to play at The Shrewsbury Club when the World Tennis Tour returns to Shropshire this month.

German star Tatjana Maria is among an impressive number of players currently ranked in the world’s top 100 on the entry list for the Budgen Motors W100 tournament.

The prestigious event is part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar which aims to provide enhanced playing opportunities for domestic players throughout the country.  

It is also the biggest indoor women’s tennis tournament in the UK since the 1990s and takes place at the Sundorne Road venue between October 30 and November 6.

Maria, currently ranked 71 in the world, enjoyed a brilliant run at SW19 earlier this year, reaching the last four before eventually losing in three sets to Ons Jabeur.  

Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage lead a strong British challenge in Shrewsbury, ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, where Great Britain are one of 12 nations competing to be the best in the world. 

The highest ranked player on the entry list is Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, currently 45 in the world.

The Shrewsbury event is set to feature Marketa Vondrousova, who was runner-up to Ashleigh Barty in the 2019 French Open final in Paris, and last year won a silver medal for the Czech Republic at the Olympics in Tokyo.

Karolina Muchova, another Czech star, is also on the entry list. A semi-finalist at last year's Australian Open, she reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon in both 2019 and 2021. 

The Shrewsbury line up also includes Viktorija Golubic - who won a doubles silver medal representing Switzerland, alongside Belinda Bencic, at last year’s Olympics - and was a 2021 Wimbledon singles quarter-finalist.

Dave Courteen, The Shrewsbury Club’s managing director, said: “We have talked a lot in the build up to this event about the calibre of players that will take part in this high-profile tournament.

“Now that the entry list has been confirmed, it's probably beyond our best expectations.

“While there’s still a possibility that players may withdraw through injury, the quality of players to have entered this tournament is fantastic. 

"To have players that have reached the latter stages of Grand Slams in the last two or three years, as well as a number of current top 100 players heading to Shrewsbury is so exciting. 

“We hope this event will attract bigger crowds as a result and we really encourage people to make sure they reserve tickets, so they are guaranteed their seats to enjoy what's going to be some truly exceptional tennis.”

Reflecting on the strong British challenge in Shrewsbury, Dave added: "With the exception of Emma Raducanu, all the top British players will be here, which is great news, with this event held the week before the Billie Jean King Cup Finals take place in Glasgow.

"We have recently enjoyed some British success at Shrewsbury tournaments and it would be nice if that continues.

"The quality of the international opposition means it’s going to be much tougher this time, but the British players are playing well and they are sure to receive lots of support. We look forward to watching them play." 

Ticket prices for the tournament, which include a 40-page programme, start from £7.50.

Finals Day tickets to enjoy the singles and doubles finals on Sunday, November 6 are priced £17.50.

A day earlier, for the semi-finals on Saturday 5 November, there will be a Family Day, which will provide many off court activities for juniors, with free admission for under-16s accompanied by an adult.

A tournament pass to watch all matches throughout the week from court-side stands is available for £49, with a number of special hospitality events also to be held at The Shrewsbury Club.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.worldtennistourshrewsbury.com/tickets-and-events/#tickets