The six day competition will see seven of the world’s top ten men, six of the world’s top ten women and seven of the world’s top ten quad division players compete in one of the most prestigious events on the Tour.

Despite the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour undergoing a minor restructuring for 2010, the British Open has retained Super Series status making it among the top tier of stand-alone tournaments in the world and one of the five most important tournaments on the Tour outside of the sanctioned wheelchair tennis events at the Grand Slams.

Vergeer will once again start the women’s singles as a hot favourite as she bids for her tenth British Open title to match the ten ITF world champion’s trophies she has notched up in a glittering career.

After recently collecting her second Wimbledon doubles title, five-time Paralympic gold medallist Vergeer returns to Nottingham bidding to extend her unprecedented unbeaten run of 386 matches in singles competition going back to the end of January 2003.

French world number five Florence Alix-Gravellier and Vergeer’s Dutch compatriots Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot, who are world ranked number six and number seven respectively, are likely to be among the strongest challengers to the defending champion’s supremacy.

Meanwhile, British number one and world number 12 Lucy Shuker will be among the eight seeded players this year after recently reaching her first Super Series women’s singles semi-final at the French Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Paris.

In the men’s event Stephane Houdet (pictured), the world number two from France, heads the singles entry as he bids for his first British Open title.

However, last year’s runner-up is bound to face some stiff opposition, especially from the Dutch trio of Maikel Scheffers, Robin Ammerlaan and Ronald Vink. 

Current world number five Ammerlaan is the only former men’s champion in this year’s field as he bids for his third British Open title after previous victories in 2003 and 2006.

Ammerlaan arrives in Nottingham in fine fettle after his most recent visit to Britain bought the Beijing Paralympic silver medallist his third Wimbledon men’s wheelchair doubles title. 

World number six Vink comes to Nottingham with one Super Series title already under his belt this season after winning April’s Florida Open.

Britain’s top three ranked men’s players, David Phillipson, Gordon Reid and Marc McCarroll head the home entry with all three currently ranked inside the world’s top 25.

The British Open remains an extra special tournament for world number 13 Phillipson as he hails from Bingham in Nottinghamshire and the 21-year-old local favourite will bidding to reach his third Super Series quarter-final of the season after reaching the last eight at both the Florida Open and the Japan Open.

In the absence of Britain’s world number one ranked quad singles player Peter Norfolk due to the impending birth of his second child, American world number two David Wagner will be top seed as he bids to defend his quad singles title.

Beijing 2008 Paralympic silver medallist and world number three Johan Andersson of Sweden, world number five Sarah Hunter of Canada and the Netherland’s Dorrie Timmermans will provide Wagner’s stiffest opposition while Andrew Lapthorne and Jamie Burdekin will be among those leading the home challenge. 

World number eight Lapthorne has been a quarter-finalist in both Super Series events he has previously played this year, at the Florida Open and the French Open, while former world number five and Beijing Paralympic quad doubles bronze medal winner Burdekin is set to make his seasonal reappearance at the British Open after returning from injury.

The finals of the 21st British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships will be held today and tomorrow.

Entry is free to all spectators throughout the tournament.

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