Lexus Ilkley Open 2026: Jack Pinnington Jones & Alicia Dudeney get off to winning starts in Ilkley

Coming off the back of a week in Birmingham, both Pinnington Jones and Dudeney picked up straight sets wins to open their accounts in Yorkshire.

Last year’s runner-up Pinnington Jones made a triumphant return in an all-British clash with the in-form Harry Wendelken – winning 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 39 minutes.

Meanwhile, rising star Dudeney won the biggest match of her career against world No.127 Himeno Sakatsume to reach the second round of the WTA 125 event.

In his clash with Wendelken, eighth seed Pinnington Jones dropped eight points on his first serve and hit 24 winners to his opponent’s 10.

Another British battle could await him in the second round as well. He’s set to play either Felix Gill or a wild card in his next match.

Gill got his first ATP Challenger win on grass in Birmingham and received a wild card into Ilkley this week.

Looking further down the draw, we could see a repeat of last year’s final in the quarters, with Australian Tristan Schoolkate featuring in the Brit’s quarter.

"It's never easy facing a Brit in the grass court season first round, and it's my first time defending points after making the final here last year," he said.

"I'm really happy with how I handled it and managed to get over the line in straight sets.

"I love the grass, it really suits my game, and it's nice to be in the UK. We travel so much. I'm in my home country and the fans get behind the Brits, so it's the best time of year for us."

For Pinnington Jones, it’s a return to the form that made him one of the breakout stars of the 2025 grass court season.

After his run in Ilkley, the 23-year-old went on to win on his Wimbledon debut against former world No.27 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, before claiming the Nottingham Challenger crown later in the summer.

A close friend of former world No.4 Jack Draper – who dubbed his fellow countryman as ‘an incredible talent’ last summer – Pinnington Jones has just completed his first full year on the tour and has been closing in on a top-100 ranking.

Pinnington Jones will no doubt be hoping that this week can spark a similar run of form to last year, while for Dudeney, this is uncharted territory in her first full grass court swing.

Dudeney – who started her tennis journey at the Pavilion & Avenue Tennis Club in Brighton, the same club as Sonay Kartal – has recently graduated from playing in the NCAA for the University of Florida.

Since making the decision to turn pro last year, she has made a successful start to life on the ITF Tour. She’s won seven singles titles in the last 12 months and is now showing that she can make the step up at WTA 125 level.

Dudeney has previous on grass as well. Back in 2021, she reached the quarter-finals of junior Wimbledon, and the 23-year-old has been enjoying her time back on the surface.

The British wild card – who grew up idolising local hero Johanna Konta – broke her Japanese opponent seven times in their opening round clash in Ilkley and could potentially face eighth seed Ashlyn Krueger in the next round.

She is one of five British players in the women’s singles main draw, including Katie Swan, Mimi Xu, Daniella Britton and Ella McDonald.