Results all through on the ITF website.

4 Brits through to FQR......namely those playing in all-Brit matches (Mel South, Jade Windley, Lucy Brown, Emily W-S). All 6 Brits playing non-Brits lost.

Ana Konjuh toughed in out in her match 7-5 3rd set. Perhaps Jade will have a decent chance in that match after all, although Ana was playing a higher ranked opponent than Jade......and with 3 recent Fed Cup wins to her name, including one against Radwanska junior (but still top 40), a big challenge.

Of the 4 remaining Brits, only Lucy is ranked lower than her FQR opponent.....so good chances all round......if only it was as simple at that!

Jaggy1876 wrote:

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Disappointing for Anna thought she would come through. Mel is spent at singles

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 I think Mel is in a severe rut at the moment, but she is not "spent" until she decides to give it up. There is still life there and she may surprise you yet. The chances of her getting back into the top 100 seem slim, but she has some pedigree and coul re enter the top 250 at least if she regains her confidence.

Mel breaks and will serve for first set at 5-4

Saves a break point and takes set 6-4

I am a massive supporter of tennis generally, and would love British tennis to be up there with the best of them, as I'm sure we all would.

Where there have been some excellent performances from our players, it's right to praise them, where there is improvement its right to give credit, and encouragement is always a good thing.

All is not a bed of roses on the men's side, particularly immediately below Andy. However, recent performances (and results) from the likes of Ed Corrie, Kyle Edmund, Marcus Willis, Jack Findel-Hawkins, Robert Carter, Neil Skupski on the men's side have been noteworthy in that they are winning and beating opponents ranked higher than them, and even our players ranked 2-6 have had some great performances recently, albeit with other disappointments. In fact on the men's side I think we are seeing slow but steady progress across the board in that the ranking level of our top 25 players is moving up (or down), that the home $10ks seem to be getting more and more competitive (perhaps this is why Josh is finding it harder to pick up big points), with GB players regularly beating players from overseas ranked well above them. I wouldn't be surprised that by year end, you need to be inside the top 700 or even 650 to make the GB top 25 men. I am among the first to give praise, and have done regularly. And importantly, we see GB men taking the bulk of qualifier spots and making up the bulk of MD QFs and SFs on a regular basis. Its not nirvana, but its progress.

On the GB women's side, Tara has had a brilliant year, Sam Murray showed great progress late 2012, and our top 3 have all been going very much in the right direction, with recent hic-coughs. And I've been happy to back them up and give well-earned praise.  I want them to win.

But in my opinion, the quality and performance levels on the women's side, from about the top 12 down is bordering on bizarre. I know things haven't been great for a long time, but at a time when the LTA is exalting the women's game more than they have done in years, arguably the quality and performance from 12 down may be worse than its been in years.

I'm not hoping for overnight step-changes, simply gradual improvement with all the money that is being spent, and a few signs of progress, the occasional good win from the lower reaches. Indy, I can't argue with you that all our GB players who lost in the qualies to higher ranked overseas players yesterday got their expected result. However, this is sport - 6 out of 6 "expected" results is very unusual even with very big rankings gaps (just look at the recent men's $10k tournaments, where there have been many many upsets). If you want to climb the rankings, beating higher ranked players goes with the territory - and doesn't home advantage count for something? Last week, we had no GB women players beyond the L16 in a home $10k event, which had 34 British entrants. Statistically, that's extremely unlikely, and it certainly shouldn't have been the case in terms of ranking either.

I'm sorry if I come across as negative, it's certainly not intended. But I'm not sorry for being realistic. In my opinion there are 2 big factors which may be more of an issue for GB women, compared to the men, both which could be addressed. Firstly, my impression is that there may be a longer tail of GB women who may regard the sport in some ways as a hobby/lifestyle choice, rather than a professional career. Is winning everything or nice to have? Secondly, my impression is that the men have come further in becoming more professional as athletes compared to strong overseas tennis players; there are still more GB women players out there who certainly don't look like professional athletes compared to many of their opponents - and perhaps suffer regarding power and endurance. I may be wrong, and there are many other factors, but at least these 2 things are addressable, surely.

Enough already. I'm going to say it for the avoidance of doubt - good luck to all 4 GB girls in today's FQR - go get Em!