Harriet Dart, Mika Stojsavljevic & Katie Swan highlight wild card entries for Lexus Birmingham Open
• 3 minute read
Wild cards have been announced ahead of the WTA 125 and ATP Challenger event at the Lexus Birmingham – featuring an exciting line up of established and rising British talent.
The 2026 grass court season will get underway at the Edgbaston Priory Club on Monday 1 June and run through to Sunday 7 June.
British players Jacob Fearnley and Jack Pinnington Jones have already received direct entry to the main draw, and will be joined by a host of others next week.
On the women’s side, Katie Swan, Harriet Dart, Alicia Dudeney and Mika Stojsavljevic have all received wild cards to the main draw.
Meanwhile, Harry Wendelken, Felix Gill and Oliver Tarvet have been rewarded with wild cards to the main draw of the ATP Challenger event.
Swan enters in fantastic form, having picked up two ITF singles titles already this year. The 27-year-old, who has enjoyed a resurgent year on the ITF Tour, has recorded some brilliant results on the grass over the years, highlighted by a run to the final of the W100 event in Surbiton three years ago where she finished runner-up.
With confidence and form on her side, Swan will be one to watch in Birmingham this year.
Dart arrives off the back of a strong start to the season, where she has claimed two W100 doubles titles, reached two singles finals and played a key role in the Lexus Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team’s victory over Australia in Melbourne. There, she won both matches she played in to help her country reach the Finals in September.
She has previously reached the quarter-finals in Nottingham and Eastbourne and will be hoping for another strong showing at the Edgbaston Priory Club to help build momentum across the remainder of the grass court swing.
Dudeney has been another standout star on the ITF Tour this year, having scooped up four singles and three doubles titles in five months.
Now sitting at a career-high ranking of world No.281, Dudeney could be a force to be reckoned with on the grass, with Birmingham marking just her fourth pro-level tournament she’s played on the surface.
Meanwhile, Stojsavljevic is one of the brightest rising stars in British tennis and will have the chance to leave her mark on the grass in Birmingham.
The 17-year-old has enjoyed some big wins already this season, including at the Billie Jean King Cup where she won on her debut against Australia’s Talia Gibson. She also reached the semi-finals of the W50 event in Manchester back in January.
On the men's side, Wendelken has also been given a wild card following some standout performances on the ATP Challenger Tour.
The 24-year-old has reached three ATP Challenger finals already this year and also lifted the M25 Sheffield title back in February. Having been in consistent form as of late, Wendelken will be one to watch heading into Birmingham.
Oliver Tarvet will be hoping to pick up where he left off on the grass last summer as he prepares to kick-start his campaign in Birmingham.
Last year was a summer to remember for the 22-year-old who came through three rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw at Wimbledon before going on to secure his first Grand Slam main draw win against Leandro Reidi.
Things went from good to even greater for Tarvet, who had the opportunity to play against the then two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court in what marked the biggest match of his career to date.
He’s joined by Gill, who narrowly missed out on a spot in the Roland Garros main draw after falling short in his final qualifying match. That said, Gill has enjoyed some promising results on the clay including a semi-final run in Barletta and finishing runner-up at the Pune Challenger back in March.
The Lexus Birmingham Open will mark Gill’s first tournament on grass in two years, and he’ll look to get off to a fast start on his return to action.
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