2022 Champion Beatriz Haddad Maia will join British number one Katie Boulter at the Lexus Nottingham Open, as the WTA entry list for the tournament has been confirmed today by the LTA.

Brazilian Haddad Maia, who has a career-high ranking of ten in the world, won both the singles and doubles titles at Nottingham in 2022, as part of an exceptional summer on the grass which also saw her win the singles title in Birmingham and reach the singles semi-finals in Eastbourne. Standing in the way of the former champion is current champion Katie Boulter, who is seeking to win the title for a third consecutive year. After winning an all-British final in 2022 against Jodie Burrage, a mammoth final day last year saw Boulter win two three-set matches, against Emma Raducanu in the semi-final and Karolina Pliskova in the final, to retain her crown.

Alongside Haddad Maia and Boulter, two-time Wimbledon champion and former world number two Petra Kvitova is set to travel to the East Midlands, as she seeks her first title since returning to the WTA Tour this year after giving birth to her son last year, to add to the 31 WTA titles she has won to date.

Elsewhere, British rising star Sonay Kartal and New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who both enjoyed stunning runs at Wimbledon last year as qualifiers, and 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez all feature in an entry list that contains 14 players inside the top 50.

The full entry list can be found on the LTA website.

The Lexus Nottingham Open has been a happy hunting ground for British players in recent years, with recent champions in the men’s and women’s events alongside Katie Boulter including Andy Murray, Johanna Konta, Dan Evans, and Jacob Fearnley, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise since winning the ATP Challenger title last summer. The entry list for the men’s event will be confirmed later in May.

Amy Hitchinson, Tournament Director of the Lexus Nottingham Open, said, “The courts here in Nottingham have consistently attracted some of the biggest names in tennis, and this year is no different. We’re delighted to have Katie Boulter back as she goes for three titles in a row, and to have another former champion in Beatriz, one of the greats of the modern game in Petra Kvitova, and a rising star in Sonay all competing as well, we’re set for another fantastic tournament.”

Tickets are still available for this year’s Lexus Nottingham Open, with Centre Court tickets starting from just £13, grounds admission tickets starting from £12 for adults and kids go free, available to purchase on the LTA website.

*Main image @the_lta Beatriz Haddad Maia with her trophy in 2022.