Just been looking at McHale's recent form - she beat Kuznetsova (WR13) in Indian Wells but has lost in the 1st round/1st round qualies in most other tournaments this year, so as you'd expect from a young player, highly variable. Laura beat her 6-3 3-6 6-1 in Tokyo last year.

Heather has played McHale once before, in the Junior Fed Cup Final, losing to her 2 & 2 on clay in Mexico - that was back in 2008 though.

Nice article about Heather in a Charleston paper http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/apr/04/040411fcnotes/

"She paid for her own lessons," her mother, Michelle, said Sunday after the British 18-year-old had played her way into the main draw of the Family Circle Cup.

"She was doing too many things ... dancing, swimming, Brownies. I told her she had to give up something, so she saved the money her grandmother sent her and used it to pay for tennis lessons."

etc

Later in the article, it talks about Alexandra Stevenson, who (they say) ...

"was quite happy to defeat what she calls a "USTA girl" (Coco Vandeweghe) on Sunday. "I really like beating USTA girls, because the USTA doesn't help me at all," the 30-year-old former Wimbledon semifinalist said."

I'm not sure quite what she expects from her association, but I can't see the LTA funding a 30 year old ranked outside the top 250, and I can't imagine any of us disagreeing with them not doing so either!

Yes, while it is of interest to see H2Hs, I take varying accounts of them.

And it is difficult to imagine many folk taking much account at all of a Junior Fed Cup Final in 2008, especially given their different progressions.  McHale was senior ranked WR 425 at the end of the 2008 season, while Heather was still unranked and was even still just WR 588 at the end of the 2009 season.

Current rankings ( i.e. form over the last year ) is of much much more relevance, but then again Heather's overall form this year is probably better, but again again   McHale has good form from IW and Miami, beating Kuznetsova and losing in 3 sets to Petrova and Dokic.  I'm not sure who green clay most favours, though it doesnt seem exactly Heather's best surface.

McHale being a slight favourite doesn't seem unreasonable to me, not that I think the bookies are too often much wrong.

Heather breaks to love to open up against McHale, *1-0

Hevvertime again. What a treat !!! Her matches are increasingly unpainful to follow. (I've probably jinxed her now !!!!!!)

*2-1

Hev serving with a close game with couple of bp's - one caused by a df. Had a gp, but

eventually, broken by McHale

2-2*