QF:  (1) Lyudmyla Kichenok & Xenia Knoll (UKR/SUI) CR 222 (62+160) defeated Amanda Carreras & Georgina García (ESP) CR 1217 (701+516) by 4-6 6-3 [10-5]
QF:  (4) Julie Coin & Stéphanie Foretz (FRA/FRA) CR 331 (203+128) defeated Naomi Cavaday & Fran Stephenson CR 1334 (788+535) by 3 & 4
QF:  Tara Moore & Nicola Slater CR 560 (322+228) defeated (3) Beatriz Haddad Maia & Petra Martic (BRA/CRO) CR 230 (123+107) by 3 & 4 

A good effort by Mandy & Georgina.

*****

SF:  Tara Moore & Nicola Slater CR 560 (322+228) vs (2) Verónica Cepede & Mandy Minella (PAR/LUX) CR 220 (139+81)

Thoughts from a very sunny day in Surbiton:

I managed to see four of the British girls in the second round. Tara's game against the top seeded Russian was a real ding-dong affair. Despite leading for most of the game, Diatchenko was unhappy all game, screaming Russian expletives most of the time and taking up a couple of issues with the umpire. She was at her worst after she received a time penalty because she was "waiting for the wind to die down" for two minutes, but in reality she was the most consistent player of the two, despite neither player showing any real consistency. Her shot making, healthy number of winners and grunting decibels were higher than Tara's, and I'm pretty sure at least two of those three things contributed to the final result. Fair play to Tara though - she gave the Russian a good run for her money and almost brought it back in the final set after being two breaks down. She didn't give up until the very end.

Naomi Broady played brilliantly. The first set was a complete breeze, with the petite Czech girl offering little to nothing in the way of resistance. The second set was more of a challenge, with the Czech getting into the swing of things a lot more, but Naomi's serve was excellent and she powered her way through, her shot making and general power play excellent throughout. I could see her doing well against Diatchenko, especially if she can get her rattled like she was today.

Emily Webley-Smith didn't do that well, as the score suggests. It was a quick, uninspiring performance, mainly strewn with unforced errors and missed winners. I was concentrating on the men's matches more so at this stage, but the game seemed to get away from her from the very start and there was no real fight to come back.

Harriet Dart did well - I only saw the first set, and her Taipei opponent seemed to be playing in a very relaxed, almost lacklustre manner, her shots seeming to require little to no effort, but hitting the deep corners of the court with unerring regularity. I think Harriet did well to stay her in both sets, especially the first, having come back from a break down, but in the end, quality probably ran out winner over enthusiasm.

yes, that doesn't sound nice.... but worth noting....

Emily Webley-Smith ‏@ews24 2h2 hours ago

Sad that my perfect record of zero bathroom breaks in 12 years had to be destroyed today with a run off court to throw up #betterouthanin

Also decided to splash out on a tenner to watch tennis in the sun at Surbiton.  Had a lovely day.  Good viewing, a great lunch and a real buzz about the place.  As others have said - full marks to the organisers.

EWS certainly shot off court after the 1st set and a couple of people near me with official badges were muttering about her being unwell.  She did a bit better in the 2nd set but TBH, Kontaveit would probably have been a comfortable winner in any event, much more power and terrific depth on her shots.

Harriet looked very nervy to start with and struggled with the strange spins and angles from her opponent (who was double handed both sides), but once she had settled down played really well.  Agree with Brad M that her opponent did not look like she wanted to be on court, often giving up on balls or just chopping at them and standing still.  Trouble was her ball skills were so good that these half hearted looking shots hit the line or the corner!  Think a few loose shots here and there cost Harriet the match.  I honestly think she was not far off winning it.

Nothing to add about the other matches apart from the fact that Naomi B does get down on herself quickly if there's the slightest momentum shift in a match.  She recovered quickly as well today but in a closer match I could see it hampering her.

Tara and Nik serving to take out the 2nd seeds :)
6-4; 5*-3

and they hold to 15

-- Edited by vohor on Friday 12th of June 2015 11:00:36 AM

Naomi leads Mandy 6-1; 1*-2

Mandy battling gamely on her own serve (saving another 2 BPs to hold) but not getting much of a look in when receiving with just 1 unconverted BP so far
Naomi leads 6-1; 4*-3...5-3*

-- Edited by vohor on Friday 12th of June 2015 11:18:45 AM