2015 Aegon Classic Semifinals Day: Pliskova & Kerber Shine Despite the Rain

The Aegon Classic is held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham and is a WTA Premier tennis event. It’s held two weeks prior to Wimbledon, as one of the grass court lead up events.

This year the Aegon Classic attracted an impressive field of players, but unfortunately for the organisers and their fans Ana Ivanovic and Genie Bouchard lost early in the week and Victoria Azarenka withdrew.

The tournament experience

I first attended this tournament in 2012 during my fan slam year, and it’s come a long way in the three years since. The completion of the new main court means more seating in the stands, and there is now a larger under cover area where spectators can wait out rain delays and be entertained by a jazz band. The available food options have also expanded with a BBQ hut, Italian food and Jacket Potato booths, in addition to the Crepe van. As a huge fan of tournament merchandise I was disappointed that there weren’t any T-Shirts or tournament towels available for sale, but that’s not unusual for smaller tournaments.

Practice Courts

There are practice courts located right next to Centre Court. I briefly saw Angelique Kerber, Carla Suarez Navarro and Garbine Muguruza practicing when we first arrived, and I can image that it’s a great bonus for fans to be able to see loads of different players practicing earlier in the week.

The tournament has a really friendly vibe, and no one appeared to be grumpy, despite the weather conditions. And I’m always impressed at how cheerfully the ushers towel dry the seats for spectators when play is about to resume after a rain delay.

Mladenovic v Pliskova

For the first semifinal Kristina Mladenovic, who defeated No.1 seed Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, played Karolina Pliskova. The match was disrupted by two rain delays, with Pliskova winning in straight sets.

Read a review of the match on Tennis Panorama News.