World Tennis Tour set for Shrewsbury return

The prestigious men’s tournament will feature rising British and overseas professional players, with tennis fans able to enjoy the action from court-side stands.

It will be the first International Tennis Federation event held in Shrewsbury since a men’s tournament, which was won by Jack Draper in September 2019.

British ace Draper, 20, faced Novak Djokovic in the first round at Wimbledon last summer and is now ranked just outside the world’s top 200.

The Budgen Motors ITF World Tennis Tour M25 tournament will begin at the Sundorne Road venue’s indoor courts on Monday, February 7.

Matches will continue throughout the week ahead of finals day on Saturday, February 12, when the singles and doubles winners will be crowned.

Dave Courteen, The Shrewsbury Club’s managing director, said: “We are really excited to be hosting an ITF event once again and looking forward to welcoming British and international tennis players to Shrewsbury.

“We really enjoyed staging the UK Pro League Finals Week in November. It was very well supported by local tennis fans and we hope that will be the case once again.

“It’s another excellent opportunity to come along and watch players who have the talent to become real stars of the future, as has been the case with many players to have played at The Shrewsbury Club over the years.

“Players will be competing for valuable ranking points and prize money, so it promises to be a great tournament featuring top quality tennis. We are particularly grateful for the continued support of local companies including Budgen Motors in sponsoring this event. Without their support, this event would not be able to happen.”

Daily admission tickets start from £5 and rise to £15 for finals day, with a weekly pass, which will guarantee a seat for all of the tournament’s matches, costing £30.

An exciting schedule of hospitality events has also been arranged, with guests to be entertained in a marquee.

Courteen added: “The professional tennis tournaments we stage are always a great opportunity to promote and celebrate Shropshire.

“We are working with Beth Heath and her team at Shropshire Festivals to make sure we showcase Shropshire at its best. This event will have a festival feel to it, with live music, street food and the opportunity to watch fantastic tennis.”

To buy tickets and for more information about the hospitality events, visit worldtennistourshrewsbury.com