The WTA Classic in Birmingham begins tomorrow with qualifiers already been played out on both the Saturday and Sunday. Fans will be treated this year to seeing all the top 3 WTA players in the world which includes Naomi Osaka (1), Ashleigh Barty (2) and Karolina Pliskova (3) who received a wild card for the tournament.
The tournament itself is decorated in history with the tournament first arriving on the WTA scene in 1982; past singles champions include Billie Jean King, Pam Shriver, Maria Sharapova & Jelena Jankovic. This year in particular has attracted some of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour.
Grass season in full swing
As one grass tournament begins in the Midlands, the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham concludes with world number 22 Donna Vekic confirmed for the final getting the better of Germany's Maria Tatjana.
Britain's number one Johanna Konta progressed to the semi-finals, to then fall to Vondrousova 7-5, 7-6 in a tight match. There was a strong British field in the Nottingham Open with other brits playing including Maia Lumsden, Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and Katie Swan, amongst others.
The real reason why players enter the tournament is to get some real grass practice in before wimbledon championships from 1st July-14th.
The big players
The main threat in the tournament coming in would have to be Ashleigh Barty fresh from winning the french open, her grass court record isn't too shabby either having been a previous runner up in Birmingham Classic, and a Wimbledon quarter finalist.
In a rich field you also have world no 1 Osaka, world number 3 Pliskova and Konta who are all potential winners. Konta has recently had a good run of form on clay reaching the semi-finals in Roland Garros and the final in Rome Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
Providing the weather holds up, fans should be treated to a week of good tennis, with the very players the WTA Tour has to offer.