The DFS Classic provides Katie O'Brien with her last opportunity to reach the top 100 before she has to defend the 110 points accumulated at Eastbourne and Wimbledon last year. Late withdrawals mean that she has made the main draw here on ranking, the first Brit to do so since Sam Smith in 1999. A couple of further pull-outs by tomorrow evening will enable Anne to join her.
The wild cards for the main draw and qualifying will have to be announced before the qualifying draw is made tomorrow evening. Qualifying consists of just 2 rounds scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, as there are 56 in the main draw, which comes out on Saturday afternoon.
Wild cards should go to Naomi, Bally and Mel. I suppose we will have no one in the qualies draw on merit if those three get the WCs? My qualies WCs would go to Elliott, Borwell, Robson (if she wants) and Moore (if she wants).
Katie and Anne have made the Main Draw after a couple of late withdrawals Bally, Mel and Naomi in qualies currently (Naomi just got in. She was #1 Alt before withdrawals).
I hope Amanda was watching Anne Keothavong beating Abigail Spears 6-1 6-2 in Surbiton. As Amanda is the only player to have taken a set of Anne on the way to the Surbiton final it should give her some encouragement and a real chance that she could win this match.
All courts start at 11 weather permitting (some rain forecast)
Court 1 Andreja Klepac (SLO) vs Naomi Broady (GBR) Samantha Stosur vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) Ekaterina Dzehalevich (BLR) vs Rika Fujiwara (JPN) NB 3PM Melinda Czink (HUN) vs Sarah Borwell (GBR)
Court 2 Soledad Esperon (ARG) vs Margit Ruutel (EST) Ahsha Rolle (USA) vs Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (NED) Betina Jozami (ARG) vs Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) NB 3PM Sunitha Rao (IND) vs Anna Smith (GBR)
Court 3 Roberta Vinci (ITA) vs Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) Julie Coin (FRA) vs Regina Kulikova (RUS) Tatiana Poutchek (BLR) vs Alexa Glatch (USA) NB 3PM Amanda Elliott (GBR) vs Abigail Spears (USA)
It's possible that Fitzy or Georgie have been given a main draw WC. Another explanation for their absence though is that there may have been a play-off for WCs on Friday (that has happened once or twice in the past for men's WCs for Queens), and they lost to Anna S and Naomi B.
Yeah, Fitzy or Stoop could have a main draw WC, but then someone else who missed out would have been in qualies. Of course, it is possible that that someone is injured.