Qualifying for the Wimbledon main draw begins tomorrow, with 2 wins required to join direct entrants Ella McDonald, Ranah Stoiber, Mimi Xu and Hannah Klugman in the main draw. In addition there are 7 wildcards (+ Taylah Preston of Australia, who just missed out on a main draw place with her WTA ranking) as follows (courtesy of CD):
GIRLS' SINGLES
1 Imogen HADDAD (GBR)
2 Isabelle LACY (GBR)
3 Hephzibah OLUWADARE (GBR)
4 Gabia PASKAUSKAS (GBR)
5 Taylah PRESTON (AUS)
6 Hannah READ (GBR)
7 Given ROACH (GBR)
8 Mika STOJSAVLJEVIC (GBR)
Qualifying matches involving Brits are as follows:
QR1
(WC) Daniela Piani v (q14) Olivia Carneiro (BRA)
(q2) Malwina Rowinska (POL) v (WC) Lois Newberry
(WC) Marelie Raath v (q15) Anastasia Grechkina (***)
(WC) Ellie Blackford v (q16) Lily Fairclough (AUS)
(q5) Tamara Kostic (AUT) v Ruby Cooling
(WC) Ciara Moore v (q9) Anya Murthy (USA)
(WC) Brooke Black v (q10) Elena Ruxandra Bertea (ROU)
Obviously no Russians (presumably political decision?). No Pushkareva, nor Efremova, etc.
And I haven't checked against the criteria - there were so many places this year from the qualifying cometitions, there was actually far fewer (only 8) truly discretionary places.
Just as last year for some reason they have issued the main draw before completion of qualifying. 5 Brits face seeds, which is higher than you would expect, though the highest is only 8
R1 (L64)
(Q) v (WC) Imogen Haddad
(10) Tereza Valentova (CZE) v (WC) Hannah Read
(WC) Gabia Paskauskas v (8) Ena Koike (JPN)
(Q) v Ranah Akua Stoiber
(12) Nina Vargova (SVK) v (WC) Hephzibah Oluwadare
Mingge Xu v Cara Maria Mester (ROU)
Martina Genis Salas (ESP) v (11) Ella McDonald
(13) Emerson Jones (AUS) v (WC) Given Roach
Wakana Sonobe (JPN) v (WC) Mika Stojsavljevic
Hannah Klugman v (9) Federica Urgesi (ITA)
(Q) v (WC) Isabelle Lacy
Am I imagining things....the draw says Gabby Read and not Hannah Read. I thought it originally said Hannah Read but somehow it now doesn't? I wonder if it's the same referee who was at Roehampton last week?!
Am I imagining things....the draw says Gabby Read and not Hannah Read. I thought it originally said Hannah Read but somehow it now doesn't? I wonder if it's the same referee who was at Roehampton last week?!
THat's really funny
Yes, the draws on the Wimbledon site itself are fine - Hannah Read plays Valentova (horrible draw)
But on the ITF site it says Gabby Read plays Valentova .....
I believe Gabby is Hannah's younger sister. Perhaps the ref knows the family! Easy mistake I suppose. Yeah, horrible draw for many - lots of the overseas girls are really very good.
I believe Gabby is Hannah's younger sister. Perhaps the ref knows the family! Easy mistake I suppose. Yeah, horrible draw for many - lots of the overseas girls are really very good.
Some are very well ranked but have no form on grass (Hannah Klugman's opponent wasn;t great this week at Roehampton so hopefully that applies to her....)
But Valentova has obviously made the final which seems rather ominous.....
Well, having said that Valentova was an obvious dangerous player here, having made the final in Roehampton, she's how gone and retired from her final, given a walkover, I believe....
So there's a chance that Hannah Read either plays someone else, or gets a rather hampered Valentova (or that Valentova is perfectly fine, come the R1 Wimbly match, of course)