rackets Fixture

*Ladies World Singles Challenge 2026

May 10, 2026 The Queen's Club C Davies

Update May 11, 2026

Published Feb 18, 2026

The recent retirement of longtime Ladies Rackets World Singles champion Lea Van Der Zwalmen leaves room for a new player to take the crown.

The T&RA is proud to announce that the Ladies Rackets World Singles Challenge will be taking place at The Queen’s Club on Sunday, 10 May, at 11am.

In a Best of 7 Games format, two of the sport’s most accomplished players – Cesca Sweet and Claire Fahey – will be facing off to take the title Lea Van Der Zwalmen has held for nearly a decade.

Claire Fahey has become the Ladies World Rackets singles champion, defeating Cesca Sweet four games to love at The Queen’s Club. She is now the World Ladies Singles champion in both Real Tennis and Rackets, an accomplishment only achieved concurrently once before in history by the legendary Peter Latham in 1895, adding the World Real Tennis to his Rackets World title. Jim Dear and Howard Angus held both titles albeit not at the same time.

Claire started the faster, quickly establishing a 7-1 lead, before Cesca skilfully reduced the deficit. But Claire was always ahead reaching 12-8, but again Cesca responded, levelling at 12-all. The two challengers were locked for a pair of hands before Claire served through, 15/12 and a one game lead.

Cesca started the stronger in the second game, forging ahead in the first half of the game before a couple of strong hands from Claire regained the initiative, leading 10-7. Cesca dug deep, preventing Claire from scoring and eventually snatched a narrow lead, 11-10 before both players were locked again at 13-all and Claire called a set to five. Claire won back the serve and then served through the set, 18/13, and into a two-game lead.

With Claire now fully engaged, she sailed through the next game in a pair of hands, without response from Cesca. With nothing to lose, Casca started the fourth game strongly, once again playing exciting Rackets and landing her shots. But Claire could sense the tide had turned and a ten-point hand saw her closing in on the title, leading 11-3. A brief flurry from Casca but Claire served the points in three more hands to finally achieve her long-term objective of the World Singles crown – she had been five points away in 2024 but this time it was hers.

The final result: Claire Fahey beat Cesca Sweet 15/12 18/13 15/0 15/4.

T&RA President, William Maltby presented the prizes in front of a packed gallery on a historic day for both Rackets and Real Tennis.