TENNIS • WTA • BURRAGE AND DUNNE SET UP ALL-BRITISH CLASH IN BIRMINGHAM NATURE VALLEY QUALIES • RESULTS • ORDER OF PLAY

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Burrage and Dunne set up all-British clash in Nature Valley Classic Qualifying

 

Surrey’s Jodie Burrage and Hertfordshire’s Katy Dunne will play for a place in the final round of qualifying at the Nature Valley Classic on Sunday after both scored the biggest wins of their careers on a packed opening qualifying day at the WTA Premier event in Birmingham.

 

Nineteen-year-old Burrage, from Hindhead, scored the first WTA win of her career with a gritty 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 first qualifying round victory over Bojana Jovanovski Petrović, a former Top 40 player.

 

Burrage said: “The support of the crowd really helps, especially in tight moments like the first set in the tie break. To hear them cheering, even if you lost the point or won the point, it really helps you to stay positive on the court.”

 

Dunne scored one of her most significant career wins in a rollercoaster match against experienced Russian Natalia Vikhlyantseva on the Ann Jones Centre Court. Dunne, from Hemel Hempstead, regrouped admirably after losing the first to love and, having wrestled the match back in her favour, refused to relinquish her grip, winning 0-6 6-2 6-2.

 

Whoever wins the all-British clash will be just one win away from joining countrywomen Johanna Konta and Heather Watson in the 32-player main draw.

 

Dunne said: “I played Jodie a couple of weeks ago and it was a really tough match. She is a young Brit who plays aggressive and is going to come at me tomorrow. I’m just going to concentrate on doing my stuff and trying to perform as well as I can.”

 

Dunne versus Burrage will be the headline match on Sunday at the Edgbaston Priory Club, where Eugenie Bouchard and Camilla Giorgi will also be in action. Tickets for Sunday are just £10 per person and available via the Box Office onsite.

 

Saturday also saw the main draw made and it certainly threw up some surprises. British No.1 Konta has been drawn to face defending Birmingham champion and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the first round of the Nature Valley Classic, in what is a tough draw for both women.

 

Konta, ranked 22 on the WTA World Rankings, will be bidding to become the first British woman in the tournament’s 38-year history to win the Maud Watson Trophy, while Kvitova, ranked 8, will be beginning the defence of the title she won last year. The match is likely to be played on Tuesday.

 

Saturday’s Nature Valley Classic draw threw up several mouth-watering first round encounters which will be a treat for ticket holders on the opening days of main draw play on Monday and Tuesday. British wildcard Katie Boulter will be up against Japanese tennis superstar and World No.18 Naomi Osaka and Heather Watson, also a wildcard, plays experienced Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.

 

Reigning Wimbledon champion and Nature Valley Open top seed Garbiñe Muguruza will face accomplished Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and third seed Karolina Pliskova is up against last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova, who is also a former champion in Birmingham having won the title in 2009.

 

NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC – BIRMINGHAM – BIRMINGHAM, UK

$871,028

JUNE 18 – 24, 2018

 

RESULTS – JUNE 16, 2018

Qualifying Singles – First Round

Qualifying – C. Giorgi (ITA) d K. Nara (JPN) 64 76(1)

Qualifying – O. Dodin (FRA) d [WC] S. Murray (GBR) 63 75

Qualifying – [WC] J. Burrage (GBR) d B. Jovanovski Petrovic (SRB) 76(5) 63

Qualifying – [WC] K. Dunne (GBR) d N. Vikhlyantseva (RUS) 06 62 62

Qualifying – P. Hon (AUS) d [Alt] A. Raina (IND) 63 36 64

Qualifying – E. Bouchard (CAN) d C. Dolehide (USA) 75 64

Qualifying – K. Ahn (USA) d F. Stollar (HUN) 62 76(10)

Qualifying – J. Brady (USA) d D. Allertova (CZE) 46 64 76(3)

Qualifying – B. Pera (USA) d V. Cepede Royg (PAR) 62 64

Qualifying – K. Bondarenko (UKR) d [WC] T. Moore (GBR) 60 75

Qualifying – D. Jakupovic (SLO) d J. Paolini (ITA) 76(5) 46 76(6)

Qualifying – S. Vickery (USA) d T. Korpatsch (GER) 61 60

Qualifying – Kr. Pliskova (CZE) d A. Cadantu (ROU) 62 76(1)

Qualifying – S. Zhuk (RUS) d S. Karatantcheva (BUL) 64 75

Qualifying – C. Perrin (SUI) d F. Abanda (CAN) 60 64

Qualifying – V. Lapko (BLR) d J. Pegula (USA) 63 61

 

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2018

ANN JONES CENTRE COURT start 11:00 am

Qualifying – P. Hon (AUS) vs E. Bouchard (CAN)

Qualifying – Kr. Pliskova (CZE) vs S. Zhuk (RUS)

Qualifying – [WC] J. Burrage (GBR) vs [WC] K. Dunne (GBR)

 

COURT 1 start 11:00 am

Qualifying – K. Ahn (USA) vs J. Brady (USA)

Qualifying – C. Perrin (SUI) vs V. Lapko (BLR)

Qualifying – C. Giorgi (ITA) vs O. Dodin (FRA)

 

COURT 2 start 11:00 am

Qualifying – B. Pera (USA) vs K. Bondarenko (UKR)

Qualifying – D. Jakupovic (SLO) vs S. Vickery (USA)

 

For more information on this year’s Nature Valley Classic and our other British Tennis events, please visit www.lta.org.uk/major-events. Limited tickets are still available to the Nature Valley Classic (16-24 June) and can be purchased online via www.theticketfactory.com/ltac/online/, by phone on 0844 581 4995

 

FAST FACTS ABOUT 2018 NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

CITY: BIRMINGHAM

SINGLES CHAMPION RECEIVES: $163,085

 

Don’t miss out on your ticket to summer! Catch world-class players in action at one of the British Tennis events, formed of the Nature Valley Open, Nature Valley Classic, Nature Valley International, Fever-Tree Championships and Fuzion 100 Trophy Series. Secure your seat as tickets are selling fast. Book now at www.lta.org.uk/major-events