Lexus Ilkley Open 2026: Katie Swan and Felix Gill headline the seven British wild cards joining the main draw

They join a host of British talent in the draw, including 2024 Lexus Nottingham Open champion Jacob Fearnley, British No.6 Billy Harris, Dallas Open quarter-finalist Jack Pinnington Jones and rising star Toby Samuel.

Grass court veteran Dan Evans and British teenager Mark Ceban have also received wild cards to the qualifying line-up.

Gill is making his third appearance at the Yorkshire tournament and will hope to get through to the second round for the first time. 

The world No.240 made it to his first ATP Challenger final earlier this season as well as making two semi-final appearances. 

Last week he claimed his first Challenger-level win on grass at the Lexus Birmingham Open and will be hoping to continue his momentum in Ilkley.

Wendelken has been making a name for himself this year on the ATP Challenger Tour, having made the final of three events, and bagging a first win in Birmingham last week. He’ll be looking to go one step further and pick up some silverware on the grass in front of the home fans.

Tarvet, who currently plays in the NCAA for the University of San Diego, returns to the UK for the 2026 season looking to top last year's run on grass. 

His 2025 debut at Wimbledon saw him go from qualifying to a second round battle with the then-defending champ Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court.

Swan brings grass court experience with her to the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club with a run to the 2022 Surbiton W100 finals under her belt. Adding to that are two ITF singles titles already this year, making her a strong contender. 

Xu will be looking to pick up where she left off following her debut grass court season last year.

The young Brit made it to the second round of the 2025 Lexus Ilkley Open as well as a quarter-final run at the Lexus Birmingham Open before her first main draw appearance at Wimbledon.

Dudeney and Britton will get a taste of the Ilkley main draw for the first time as they round off the wild cards. 

Dudeney has picked up four singles titles this season and entered the top 300 for the first time in her career, so will be hoping her debut in Yorkshire brings around more success.

Fresh off her 16U and 18U Lexus Junior National Championships title wins, 15-year-old Britton will look to make the most of her first main draw on the grass as she competes in just her second women’s singles event. 

Evans, who reached the second round of the HSBC Championships and Wimbledon last year, will look to kick off his 2026 grass court season with his first main draw appearance since Guangzhou in September. 

17-year-old Ceban, who recently won the 18U Lexus Junior National Championships title, will hope to make his main draw debut on the grass.