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 2023, the tournament will be sponsored by the pensions insurance specialist Rothesay Life PLC so the 2023 tournament will be called the Rothesay Classic Birmingham.
Birmingham Classic 2023
| Location: | Birmingham, England |
| Tour Level: | WTA 250 |
| Tournament Sponsor: | Rothesay Life PLC |
| Court Surface: | Outdoor Grass |
| Draw Size: | 32 Singles, 16 Doubles |
| Prize Money: | $259,303 |
Dates
The 2023 WTA Birmingham Classic tennis tournament took place from the 19th to the 25th of June 2023, with qualifying for the singles tournament taking place on the 17th and 18th of June 2023.
The 2023 tournament was played in the same week as the ATP 500 tournaments in London, England, and Halle, Germany, and the WTA tournaments in Berlin and Venice.
Tickets
Tickets for the 2023 Birmingham open tennis tournament were sold through the LTA’s official ticketing website.
Players
The official entry list for 2023 has now been released and below is a list of players that played in the 2023 WTA singles tournament in Birmingham:
- Alycia Parks
- Anastasia Potapova
- Anhelina Kalinina
- Barbora Krejcikova
- Barbora Strycova
- Bernarda Pera
- Camila Giorgi
- Elina Svitolina
- Jasmine Paolini
- Jelena Ostapenko
- Jodie Burrage
- Harrier Dart
- Lin Zhu
- Linda Noskova
- Magda Linette
- Marie Bouzkova
- Marta Kostyuk
- Shuai Zhang
- Sorana Cirstea
- Venus Williams (WIldcard)
Schedule
Below was the schedule for the 2023 tournament in Birmingham with the singles final being played on Sunday, the 25th of June 2023.
| Day | Date | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday – Day 1 | 17th of June 2023 | Qualifiers |
| Sunday – Day 2 | 18th of June 2023 | Qualifiers |
| Monday – Day 3 | 19th of June 2023 | 1st Round Matches |
| Tuesday – Day 4 | 20th of June 2023 | 1st Round Matches |
| Wednesday – Day 5 | 21st of June 2023 | 2nd Round Matches |
| Thursday – Day 6 | 22nd of June 2023 | 2nd Round Matches |
| Friday – Day 7 | 23rd of June 2023 | Quarterfinal Matches |
| Saturday – Day 8 | 24th of June 2023 | Semifinal Matches |
| Sunday – Day 9 | 25th of June 2023 | Final |
Draw
The draws for the 2023 tournament in Birmingham are now available to view on the WTA Tour (see links below).
2023 Women’s Singles: View Draw
2023 Women’s Singles Qualifying: View Draw
2023 Women’s Doubles: View Draw
Prize Money and Ranking Points
The total prize money for the 2023 WTA Birmingham tennis tournament was $259,303, with the prize money and ranking points being split as follows.
Women’s Singles
The winner of the Women’s Singles Event in 2023 won $34,228 (2022: $33,200) and 280 ranking points, with the runner-up winning $20,226 (2022: $19,750) and 180 ranking points.
Players losing in the 1st round of the tournament won $2,804 (2022: $2,725) and 1 WTA Ranking Point.
| Performance | $ | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | $34,228 | 280 |
| Finalist | $20,226 | 180 |
| Semifinalist | $11,276 | 110 |
| Quarterfinalist | $6,418 | 60 |
| 2nd Round | $3,920 | 30 |
| 1st Round | $2,804 | 1 |
Women’s Doubles
The winners of the Women’s Doubles Event in 2023 won $12,447 ($6,223.50 each) and 280 points, with the runner-ups winning $7,000 ($3,500 each) and 180 points.
Teams losing in the 1st round won $1,848 ($924 each) and 1 WTA Ranking Point.
| Performance | $ | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | $12,447 | 280 |
| Finalists | $7,000 | 180 |
| Semifinalists | $4,020 | 110 |
| Quarterfinalists | $2,400 | 60 |
| 1st Round | $1,848 | 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 is Jeļena Ostapenko who beat Barbora Krejčíková 7-6, 6-4 in the 2023 final (see match highlights below).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jeļena Ostapenko | Barbora Krejčíková | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 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
Barbora Krejčíková and Marta Kostyuk are the defending champions in the Women’s doubles event in Birmingham after defeating Alycia Parks and Storm Sanders 6-2, 7-6 in the 2023 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Barbora Krejčíková and Marta Kostyuk | Alycia Parks and Storm Sanders | 6-2, 7-6 |
| 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 |