Meet the five WTA stars already confirmed for the 2026 British grass court season
• 3 minute read
The countdown to the 2026 grass court season is underway, with tournament entry lists beginning to take shape for what promises to be another unmissable summer of tennis.
With plenty of names still to be announced in the coming months, here’s everything you need to know about the five women already confirmed to take to the stage at LTA grass court events this June.
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Don’t miss out on watching some of the world’s best women's tennis stars on court this summer. There are only limited tickets available for the women’s event at the HSBC Championships.
Amanda Anisimova
- Age: 24
- Career-high ranking: 3
- WTA titles: 4
- Grass court win-loss record: 25-12
- Best grass court result: Wimbledon runner-up (2025); HSBC Championships runner-up (2025)
Back in 2023, Anisimova spent eight months away from tennis to prioritise her mental health. The 24-year-old made her comeback a year later and worked tirelessly to rebuild her game and belief - eventually wrapping up the season ranked No.36 in the world. But that proved to be only the beginning.
Anisimova’s resurgence was one of the standout stories of the WTA season last year. She lifted her first WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open in February and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros before truly hitting her stride on the grass.
The world No.6 finished runner-up at the HSBC Championships and carried that momentum into Wimbledon where she reached her first Grand Slam final before losing out to Iga Swiatek.
Anisimova gained revenge later in the year, defeating the Polish star in the quarter-finals of the US Open on her way to a second successive major final. Although she narrowly lost to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, the American bounced back quickly by claiming her second title of the year in China just weeks later.
The 24-year-old capped off 2025 by being named the WTA’s Most Improved Player of the Year, recorded 10 wins over top 10 players and defeated all four reigning Grand Slam champions - a feat that hadn’t been achieved in seven years.
Emma Raducanu
- Age: 23
- Career-high ranking: 10
- WTA titles: 1
- Grass court win-loss record: 18-14
- Best grass court result: Lexus Nottingham Open - semi-final (2024); Wimbledon - fourth round (2021)
Last June, Raducanu boosted the home crowd’s hopes of seeing a British champion at the HSBC Championships when she reached the quarter-finals. The 23-year-old had been in impressive form throughout the week but couldn’t overcome Paris Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.
From there, Raducanu turned her attention to Wimbledon where her blockbuster third round clash against Sabalenka became one of the most-watched matches of the year. The former US Open champion once again showcased her big match mentality under the lights of Centre Court and came close to causing an upset over the world No.1.
It’s moments like that which serve as a reminder of Raducanu’s ability to rise to the occasion on the biggest stages, particularly when playing in front of a British crowd.
Now ranked back inside the world’s top 30, Raducanu will enter this grass court swing having built plenty of confidence and consistency in her game over the last 12 months. She has already reached one tour-level final this season at the Transylvania Open - marking her first final since her historic 2021 US Open win - as well as making the quarter-finals at the Hobart International.
With the summer fast approaching, Raducanu will return to The Queen’s Club hoping to build on last year’s momentum and go one further to leave the British fans with plenty to cheer about.
Iva Jovic
- Age: 18
- Career-high ranking: 18
- WTA titles: 1
- Grass court win-loss record: 8-1
- Best grass court result: Lexus Ilkley Open - champion (2025)
Jovic is one of the most exciting rising talents in tennis right now and is set to bring her big-hitting brand of tennis to the HSBC Championships this summer.
The American only broke into the world’s top 100 eight months ago and has shown no signs of slowing down since, with the teenager currently sitting at a career-high ranking of No.18.
Jovic signalled her arrival on the big stage late last year at the WTA 500 event in Guadalajara, where she captured her first tour-level title. From then, she’s since gone on to make headlines again in January when she became the youngest player to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals in 19 years - knocking out seventh seed Jasmine Poalini along the way.
While still finding her footing on the WTA Tour, the rising star will no doubt feel full of confidence when she returns to British soil, following her achievements in 2025. The grass has already proven to be a happy hunting ground for the young American, who lifted the WTA 125 title at the Lexus Ilkley Open last summer and came through three rounds of Wimbledon qualifying to reach the main draw.
With a return to the grass just a couple of months away, Jovic will be hoping the surface can bring out her best game once again, and the HSBC Championships could be the perfect stage for another breakthrough moment.
Jessica Pegula
- Age: 32
- Career-high ranking: 3
- WTA titles: 10
- Grass court win-loss record: 33-22
- Best grass court result: Bad Homburg champion (2025); Berlin Open champion (2024)
Pegula has been one of the most consistent players not only on the WTA tour but also on grass in recent years. The American has claimed silverware on the surface for the last two seasons in a row and could be set to make it a hat-trick of trophies when she returns to the grass this summer.
The former US Open runner-up is set to make her HSBC Championships debut and could be tipped as a frontrunner to lift the silverware in West London.
The 32-year-old overcame Swiatek in straight sets on her way to claiming the Bad Homburg Open title last year, captured the 2024 Berlin Open title and, in 2023, reached the quarter-final at Wimbledon for the first time - further highlighting her consistency on the surface.
Renowned for her clean ball-striking, and aggressive baseline play, Pegula’s game adapts naturally to the faster conditions that the grass brings and will make her a strong threat for the rest of the field at The Queen’s Club.
She’s already already made a fast start in 2026, highlighted by winning her fourth-career WTA 1000 crown in Dubai and will be hoping to build on that momentum as she targets another successful summer on the surface.
Sonay Kartal
- Age: 24
- Career-high ranking: 44
- WTA titles: 1
- Grass court win-loss record: 23-17
- Best grass court result: Fourth round - Wimbledon (2025)
The second half of Kartal’s 2025 season proved a memorable one for the Brighton-born star, and the grass court season played a big part in that.
The British No.2 secured wins at the HSBC Championships and Lexus Nottingham Open ahead of Wimbledon, where she went on to become the fourth unseeded British woman to reach the fourth round at SW19 this century.
It was a milestone moment for Kartal, with her fourth round appearance marking her best Grand Slam run of her career so far.
But she didn’t stop there - just two months later, the world No.54 stepped into the spotlight once again when she made her first WTA 1000 quarter-final at the China Open - defeating then world No.6 Mirra Andreeva en route.
With the young Briton continuing to develop her game and the summer swing having historically seen her produce some of the biggest results of her career, Kartal will be eager to pick up where she left off last summer in front of the home crowd.
Kartal is already confirmed to feature at her home tournament - the Lexus Eastbourne Open - with tickets to the event still available:
