LTA’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL WHEELCHAIR TOURNAMENTS OF 2026 SET FOR 13-22 FEBRUARY
Some of Britain’s leading wheelchair tennis players will aim to build on current career-high world rankings when the LTA brings international wheelchair tennis back to Bolton Arena for the 12th year from this Friday.
Players from 18 countries will vie for men’s, women’s and quad singles and doubles titles in back-to-back tournaments between 13 and 22 February.
In what is the 50th Anniversary year for the sport of wheelchair tennis, it is the fifth year that the WT 100 and WT 175 tournaments on the International Tennis Federation’s UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour have been held in successive weeks in Bolton, both tournaments lasting for five days apiece.
With the Wheelchair Tennis Tour having undergone a restructure for 2026, both Bolton Indoor events retain their respective graded status on the calendar, having previously been referred to as ITF 3 and ITF 2 tournaments up to and including 2025.
British No.3 and world No.16 Ben Bartram is one of five former or current junior Grand Slam champions across singles and doubles among the home entries for the men’s singles and doubles at this year’s WT 100 tournament, which begins on Friday.
20-year-old Bartram is set to be top seed for the men’s singles, ahead of the USA’s Conner Stroud and Australia’s Anderson Parker, with former world No.4 Tom Egberink of the Netherlands currently among three players scheduled to be seeded above Bartram for the WT 175 tournament, which begins on Wednesday, 18 February.
On the women’s side, British No.1 Lucy Shuker won both Bolton Indoor titles in 2022 and returns for the WT 175 next week, while British No.2 Cornelia Oosthuizen, British No.3 Ruby Bishop and British No.4 Abbie Breakwell are all among seven world top 30 players vying for the WT 100 title, along with Israel’s defending champion Maayan Zikri.
Local interest in the women’s singles comes from Lancashire’s Helen Bond.
British No.2 Greg Slade and British No.3 Oliver Cox contested last year’s quad singles final at what is now the WT 100 tournament, and Cox will bid to go one better this year before also joining Slade in next week’s entry for the WT 175, which features a series of top 10-ranked players.
Looking ahead to the upcoming international wheelchair tennis double-header, Stuart Kay, Head of Sport & Communities at Bolton Arena, said:
“I can’t believe it’s already been twelve months since we last hosted the two International Wheelchair Tournaments. These are without doubt my favourite ten days of the year, and hosting back-to-back international events is always incredibly special. The speed, skill and intensity the players bring is a real joy to watch, and I’m so excited to once again welcome athletes from all around the world to Bolton Arena.”
LTA Tournament Director Lauren Beech said:
“In this historic year for wheelchair tennis we are delighted to start the roster of the LTA’s international wheelchair tournaments for 2026 with such strong entries and plenty of prominent British interest at both the WT 100 and WT 175 tournaments at Bolton Arena. The venue has become a firm favourite with many of the world’s top players and we look forward to an exciting 10-day bonanza of world class sport.”
For updates from Bolton Indoor WT 100 and WT 175 tournaments, follow the LTA Wheelchair Tennis X account here or Facebook account here.
