EXPERIENCED Estonian Kaia Kanepi heads an exceedingly strong women's entry for the Fuzion 100 Ilkley Trophy.

The 32-year-old, who has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam five times, is set to be the top seed at the $100,000 pre-Wimbledon tournament from June 16-24.

Former world No 15 Kanepi, currently ranked 52 in the world, has twice lost in the last eight of the French Open (2008, 2012) and Wimbledon (2010, 2013) and once – last autumn – in the US Open.

Three other players from the top 100 are earmarked to come to Stourton Road for the ITF Women's Circuit tournament – former world No 7 Belinda Bencic (Switzerland), Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Thailand's Luksika Khumkhun.

World No 71 Bencic, who is still only 21, missed five months of last season after surgery on her left wrist, but showed her quality by winning 28 of her last 31 matches in 2017.

Her breakthrough year was 2014, when she reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, and she has since reached the last 16 of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Schmiedlova, who is two years older and is world ranked 77, has won three titles on the WTA Tour, including Bogota this year.

Khumkhun, 24, who rounds out the world's top 100, has won 13 titles at ITF level and has twice reached quarter-finals on the main tour.

She has played at Ilkley for all of the previous three years, but has only reached the last 16 once – in 2015.

American Madison Brengle, who is world ranked 101, is another player who is returning to Ilkley, and took a set off eventual winner Magdalena Rybarikova in the quarter-finals.

Other familiar names in the 22 names listed for the main draw are 2016 Ilkley winner Evgeniya Rodina (Russia), Germany's Mona Barthel, Australia's Arina Rodionova and Holland's Richel Hogenkamp.

Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club general manager Charlie Maunder said: "The women's draw is particularly strong this year, with many players hoping to follow the success of our 2017 champion Magdalena Rybarikova, who went on to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

"It's really something special to be able to watch these players up close so we're looking forward to some intense action on court later this month."

The Ilkley winner will, as per usual, potentially win a wild card into the main draw for Wimbledon.

Ilkley tickets are on sale at www.theticketfactory.com/ltaci/online/