Behind the Scenes of Lexus Wrexham Open

Sunday & Monday Qualifying

The Lexus Wrexham Open sold more tickets to qualifying than any other $100,000 event worldwide.

We were extremely proud to see two Welsh players in the qualifying draw. Megan Davies, who grew up playing in Wrexham has graduated from university in the USA and is now on the first team for Loughborough Uni while completing her Masters.

Elizabeth Evans, our Young Player of the Year competed in Wrexham, and will be heading to Harvard University next year.

Fitness Funday

Tournament sponsor Total Fitness welcomed the Tennis Wales team to help share tennis with local children and families at a fitness funday. Coaches offered tennis activities for children and families, offering a fun and welcoming introduction to the sport with additional activities organised by Total Fitness and NHS colleagues.

Pop-up Padel

The superb team at The Mobile Padel Company arrived in the city early in the week. They constructed a pop-up padel court in the city centre as part of the Lexus Wrexham Open. Through their investment, the pop-up padel court will remain in the city for 28 days, welcoming people to try one of the fastest-growing games in the world.

Business Breakfast Forum

The Business Breakfast Forum welcomed over 100 local people from the business community across North Wales, Wrexham, Chester, and Shrewsbury early in the week.

With guest speakers from the Wrexham City of Culture Bid 2029 and podcaster Ollie Patrick, we heard how valuable major events are to the City of Wrexham, and how health and wellbeing are both business and personal responsibilities.

The Player Party and Draw at Net World Sports

Net World Sports hosted the official player party and draw early in the week with over 200 guests. We welcomed players, volunteers, special guests, businesses, and those working on site. Net World Sports has extended their Tennis Wales partnership and offers a great range of on and off court equipment and by signing up your venue or coach with an account, you’re now able to access some great special offers.

Volunteers in action

The event was supported by dozens of local tennis volunteers from North Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire and further afield. Volunteers helped with driving the players from hotels, airports to the tennis & padel centre in a fleet of Lexus cars, by stewarding the courts, chatting to fans and supporting the event management behind the scenes. A massive thank you to everyone who volunteered throughout the week, your energy, enthusiasm and passion was on display 24 hours a day.

Padel Coaching for Ball Crew

Local school kids and county tennis players trained ahead of the event as ball crew. They did a superb job throughout the week. During their downtime crew members were introduced to padel, providing on-court coaching to give them a taste of this rapidly growing sport. Many had never played before, making it a fun and educational experience in between their time on the tennis court.

Sports Discovery Day

We partnered up with Wrexham University as part of the event. The tournament gave local Year 12 and 13 students a hands-on introduction to studying and working in sport. It was a fantastic opportunity to inspire the next generation and help bridge the gap between academic study and real-world experience.

Our team enjoyed chatting with the future coaches, organisers, and officials for sport in Wales, offering helpful advice and listening to their stories.

Workshops for Indoor Tennis Centres in Wales

Partners from across our indoor tennis centres came together for a two-day networking and development event.

A highlight was an inspiring session with Wrexham AFC CEO Michael Williamson, who shared insights on leadership, culture, and scaling operations to match the football club’s rapid rise.

The group also took part in workshops with Matt Hiliker (Achieve More Training) on apprenticeships and work-based learning, and Matt Rutland on developing five-year visions and effective hub-and-spoke models.

Jack Sargeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership

We welcomed Jack Sargeant MS to watch the tennis on court, and speak to Welsh Government, Wrexham Council and Actif North Wales colleagues about growing tennis in North Wales. The investment from Welsh Government and Wrexham Council has been vital to bringing international tennis to Wrexham.

Training Schools Day

Primary school children from local schools in Wrexham got the chance to come to the Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre to try tennis and watch the players in action. The team at Achieve More Training taught the young people the basics of tennis before play got underway. In the afternoon, the children were able to watch a few matches and even ask questions to Mimi Xu in between games.

Mini Wrexham Open

While Welsh No.1 Mimi Xu lifted the trophy at the Lexus Wrexham Open, she wasn’t the only homegrown talent on the show courts.

Junior players from across North Wales took to the courts for the Mini Wrexham Open, showcasing fantastic skill and enthusiasm. The event brought together junior players from clubs in North Wales for a unique opportunity to play on the show court with Baroness Sater, our Tennis Wales President on hand to hand out the prizes.

Finals Day

Finals Day was always going to be special, but Mimi’s straight-sets wins in both finals will go down in Welsh tennis history. Off court our CEO, Simon Johnson, spoke to the sell-out crowd & thanked them for helping making the event so special. Our President, Baroness Amanda Sater, presented the runner-up awards in both the singles and doubles.

It's been a real privilege to bring international tennis back to Wales. We want to express our thanks to the brilliant team at the Mosaic Group, the trustees and staff at Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre, and colleagues in the LTA, Wrexham Council and Welsh Government.

We are already planning for 2026, so stay tuned for more information & how you can be part of the action.

Diolch yn fawr Lexus Wrexham Open!