Richard Joyner hails Shrewsbury Club's tournament line-up
Tournament director Richard Joyner has hailed the quality of the players competing in this week’s ITF World Tennis Tour event at The Shrewsbury Club ahead of the first round matches starting today, writes Stuart Dunn.
Number one seed Anhelina Kalinina, the Ukrainian star currently in the world’s top 50, is among the players in action at the Budgen Motors W100 tournament today.
Kalinina faces Elsa Jacquemot from France in one of eight first round singles matches scheduled for today, with the remaining eight matches, including those featuring Jodie Burrage and Katie Boulter, the two highest-ranked British players in Shrewsbury this week, taking place tomorrow.
“This tournament is the culmination of a number of years building up to this,” said Joyner, the tournament director for the LTA. “Staging a women’s $100,000 event, which is the highest you can get on the ITF World Tennis Tour, is fantastic.
“It’s a tribute to everything that goes on at The Shrewsbury Club and also in the town with the way the local community get behind the tournaments played here.”
Joyner added: “This week’s number one seed, Anhelina Kalinina, is in the top 50 in the world, and at number two we have Tatjana Maria, a Wimbledon singles semi-finalist earlier this year.
“It’s a really exciting line up with a number of Brits coming through qualifying to join more British players in the main draw.
“Katie Boulter, who had a good run at Wimbledon this year, is playing here ahead of being in the Great Britain team for next week’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow, so she will be looking for a good run.
“Jodie Burrage has also had a fantastic year climbing up the rankings and has just become the new British number four.”
n Qualifying report:
See Page 46
