The Birmingham Classic is a WTA 250 tennis tournament that is played on outdoor grass courts at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England.
The tournament has had many different names over the years including the Aegon Classic, the DFS Classic, the Dow Classic, the Edgbaston Cup, and the Viking Classic.
In 2022, the tournament was sponsored by the pensions insurance specialist Rothesay Life PLC so the 2022 tournament will be called the Rothesay Classic Birmingham.
2023 Birmingham Classic
| Location: | Birmingham, England |
| Tour Level: | WTA 250 |
| Tournament Sponsor: | Rothesay Life PLC |
| Court Surface: | Outdoor Grass |
| Draw Size: | 32 Singles, 16 Doubles |
| Prize Money: | $251,750 (2022) |
Dates
The 2023 Birmingham Classic tennis tournament will take place from the 19th to the 25th of June 2023.
Qualifying for the singles tournament will take place on the 17th and 18th of June 2023.
The tournament will be played in the same week as the ATP 500 tournament in London, England, and Halle, Germany, and the WTA tournaments in Berlin and Venice.
Tickets
Tickets for the 2023 Birmingham open tennis tournament are not on sale yet. Check out the LTA’s official ticketing website for more information on ticketing for 2023.
Players
The official entry list for 2023 has yet to be released but below is a list of players that played in the 2022 singles tournament in Birmingham:
- Jelena Ostapenko
- Simona Halep
- Sorana Cirstea
- Camila Giorgi
- Elise Mertens
- Kaja Juvan
- Petra Martić
- Shuai Zhang
- Alison Riske
- Magdalena Frech
- Aleksandra Krunić
- Nuria Parrizas Diaz
- Beatriz Haddad Maia
- Viktorija Golubic
- Shelby Rogers
- Elena-Gabriela Ruse
- Caroline Garcia
- Camila Osorio
- Tereza Martincova
- Magda Linette
- Barbora Krejcikova
- Petra Kvitova
- Harriet Dart
- Katie Boulter
Schedule
Below is the expected schedule for the 2023 tournament in Birmingham with the singles final being played on the 25th of June 2023.
| Day | Date | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Monday – Day 1 | 19th of June 2023 | 1st Round Matches |
| Tuesday – Day 2 | 20th of June 2023 | 1st and 2nd Round Matches |
| Wednesday – Day 3 | 21st of June 2023 | 2nd and 3rd Round Matches |
| Thursday – Day 4 | 22nd of June 2023 | 3rd Round Matches |
| Friday – Day 5 | 23rd of June 2023 | Quarterfinal Matches |
| Saturday – Day 6 | 24th of June 2023 | Semifinal Matches |
| Sunday – Day 7 | 25th of June 2023 | Final |
Draw
The draws for the 2023 tournament in Birmingham will be available to view on the WTA Tour website a few days before the start of the tournament.
2023 Women’s Singles Draw: TBC
2023 Women’s Singles Qualifying Draw: TBC
2023 Women’s Doubles Draw: TBC
Prize Money and WTA Points
The total prize money for the 2023 WTA Birmingham tennis tournament in Birmingham has yet to be confirmed but in 2022 it was $251,750.
How the prize money and WTA Points were split for the 2022 tournament is detailed below.
Women’s Singles
The winner of the Women’s Singles Event in 2022 won $33,200 (2021: $29,800) and 280 ranking points, with the runner up winning $19,750 (2021: $16,398) and 180 ranking points.
Players losing in the 1st round of the tournament won $2,725 and 1 WTA Ranking Point.
| Performance | $ | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | $33,200 | 280 |
| Finalist | $19,750 | 180 |
| Semifinalist | $11,000 | 110 |
| Quarterfinalist | $6,200 | 60 |
| 2nd Round | $3,800 | 30 |
| 1st Round | $2,725 | 1 |
Women’s Doubles
The winners of the Women’s Doubles Event in 2022 won $12,000 ($6,000 each) and 280 points, with the runner ups receiving $6,700 ($3,350 each) and 180 points.
Teams losing in the 1st round won $1,750 and 1 WTA Ranking Point.
| Performance | $ | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | $12,000 | 280 |
| Finalists | $6,700 | 180 |
| Semifinalists | $3,950 | 110 |
| Quarterfinalists | $2,350 | 60 |
| 1st Round | $1,800 | 1 |
WTA Birmingham Past Winners and Runner Ups
The tournament has been held in Birmingham since 1982 with past singles champions including Billie Jean King, Pam Shriver, and Martina Navratilova.
Women’s Singles
The current champion in the women’s singles event in 2022 is Beatriz Haddad Maia who beat Zhang Shuai after Zhang Shuai had to retire due to injury in the first set.
Pam Shriver currently holds the record for most WTA Birmingham singles titles with four titles to her name (1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987).
The below list of previous winners and runner-ups goes back to 2012. For a full list, check out the WTA Tennis website.
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Beatriz Haddad Maia | Zhang Shuai | 5-4 (retired) |
| 2021 | Ons Jabeur | Daria Kasatkina | 7–5, 6–4 |
| 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Ashleigh Barty | Julia Gorges | 6–3, 7–5 |
| 2018 | Petra Kvitova | Magdalena Rybarikova | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 2017 | Petra Kvitova | Ashleigh Barty | 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 2016 | Madison Keys | Barbora Strycova | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2015 | Angelique Kerber | Karolína Pliskova | 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 |
| 2014 | Ana Ivanovic | Barbora Strycova | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 2013 | Daniela Hantuchova | Donna Vekic | 7–6, 6-4 |
| 2012 | Melanie Oudin | Jelena Jankovic | 6–4, 6–2 |
Women’s Doubles
Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jeļena Ostapenko are the defending champions in the Women’s doubles event in Birmingham after receiving a walkover against Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai as Zhang Shuai was injured in the singles final.
The below list of previous winners and runner-ups goes back to 2012. For a full list, check out the WTA Tennis website.
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jeļena Ostapenko | Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai | Walkover |
| 2021 | Marie Bouzková and Lucie Hradecká | Ons Jabeur and Ellen Perez | 6–4, 2–6, 10–8 |
| 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strýcová | Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Demi Schuurs | 6–4, 6–7, 10–8 |
| 2018 | Tímea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic | Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs | 4–6, 6–3, 10–8 |
| 2017 | Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua | Chan Hao-ching and Zhang Shuai | 6–1, 2–6, 10–8 |
| 2016 | Karolína Plíšková and Barbora Strýcová | Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva | 6–3, 7–6 |
| 2015 | Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro | Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 2014 | Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears | Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2013 | Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua | Cara Black and Marina Erakovic | 7-5, 6-4 |
| 2012 | Tímea Babos and Hsieh Su-wei | Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond | 7–5, 6–7, 10–8 |