Former champions headline Luxembourg tennis reunion

A collection of former WTA stars, including two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, will headline this year’s Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters.

The eight-player invitational tournament takes place from October 13 to 18 and brings together former professionals for a knockout competition.

Organisers announced the completed field at a press conference on Monday night. Last year’s champion, three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber, will return, alongside former world No 4 Dominika Cibulkova and Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.

Kvitova and former world No 12 Tatiana Golovin have been added to the field, while Agnieszka Radwanska, Magdalena Rybarikova and Monica Puig complete the line-up. The tournament began in 2022, when Kim Clijsters beat Martina Hingis in the final, and has since developed into a wider week-long tennis festival.

Former world No 5 Daniela Hantuchova, now an ambassador for the event, said the tournament had developed a strong reputation among both former players and spectators. Kvitova’s participation is notable because she is returning to competitive exhibition tennis less than seven months after giving birth to twins. Puig is also coming off participation in the Berlin Marathon.

The event will again combine tennis with programmes aimed at supporting women and girls. A donation will be made to the WTA Foundation in support of its partnership with UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Programme. The contribution is expected to provide prenatal vitamins to 6,000 women throughout their pregnancies.

The 2026 tournament has particular significance because all eight players in the field are mothers, according to WTA Foundation executive director Ann Austin.

The same organisers previously ran a WTA 250 tournament in Luxembourg for 25 years. Kvitova returns to the country a decade after finishing runner-up to Monica Niculescu in the 2016 final, while Puig was runner-up the following year.

Kerber won last year’s tournament at the Coque Arena after beating Alizé Cornet in the final.

This year’s total prize purse is €110,000, with €50,000 going to the champion.