Eastbourne's international tennis event downgraded

American Madison Keys won the Eastbourne International in 2023

The annual Eastbourne international tennis tournament for women has been downgraded, the Lawn Tennis Association has announced.

From 2025 the event at Devonshire Park will still host a combined men's and women's event but there will be greater limitations on who can enter.

The LTA said "the number of top-ranked players will be restricted".

Caroline Ansell, the MP for Eastbourne, said the change will "challenging", adding: "It wasn’t what I wanted to hear."

The downgrade is as a result of the LTA achieving its aim of staging a women's tournament at Queen's Club, in west London, in the first week of the grass court season.

The Eastbourne International will be held in 2025 from 23 June in the week prior to Wimbledon.

The men's tournament remains unchanged.

A LTA spokesperson said: "We remain fully committed to maintaining a combined men’s and women’s tour level event at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne.

"The LTA will continue to work closely with Eastbourne Borough Council and all local stakeholders, to ensure that it remains as popular with players and fans as ever, as well as retaining its unique charm."

Ms Ansell said: "It is disappointing that not so many top women’s seeds will be at the event from 2025.

"Now I will work with (the LTA) to ensure its commitments to Eastbourne are made good and that the tournament goes from strength to strength."

This year's tournament at Devonshire Park runs from 22-29 June.

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