The Shrewsbury Club will again host a prestigious ITF World Tennis Tour event in October as world class tennis makes a welcome return to Shropshire.

The Budgen Motors W100 tournament will be the biggest event in women’s tennis, outside of the grass court season, to be held in the UK this year.

Set to feature leading British and international players, the tournament is to take place at the Sundorne Road venue’s indoor courts between October 15-22, with tickets now on sale.

Its return follows the huge success of last year’s $100,000 event - the highest-profile tournament played at The Shrewsbury Club - which was well supported by local tennis fans.

Czech Republic ace Marketa Vondrusova won both the singles and doubles titles last November. 

A strong line up of international stars headed to Shropshire, including Karolina Muchova - a French Open finalist last weekend, who lost in the second round in Shrewsbury - while the event also featured Katie Boulter, the new British number one, and Jodie Burrage, who is third in the British rankings.

Dave Courteen, The Shrewsbury Club’s managing director, said it’s exciting news that the W100 - which is part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar - is returning.

He said: “We are delighted to be bringing the ITF World Tennis Tour back to The Shrewsbury Club. 

"We are really proud to be hosting such a prestigious event which provides Shropshire tennis fans with the opportunity to watch world class tennis close to home.  

"We are looking forward to welcoming top tennis players from around the world again as they compete for valuable world ranking points and prize money. 

“It will be an incredible festival of tennis, with lots of fun events lined up to complement the tennis, including an interactive fan zone, live music and many more activities.   

“Tickets are now on sale from the tournament website and we encourage people to purchase them as soon as possible as the tournament was very well supported last year." 

He added: “It would not be possible to stage events like this without the fantastic support of local businesses, so we thank them for their wonderful backing.

“We are delighted to once again have Budgen Motors, excellent supporters of the tournaments we stage for many years, as the headline sponsors."

Ticket prices, which include a 40-page tournament programme, start from £7.50, with finals day tickets to enjoy both the singles and doubles finals on Sunday, October 22 priced £19.50. 

A tournament pass to watch all matches throughout the week from court-side stands is available for £59, with a number of special hospitality events to also be held at The Shrewsbury Club.

Tickets can be purchased via the tournament website at https://worldtennistourshrewsbury.com/tickets-and-events/