British No.2 Cameron Norrie has been awarded a wild card into the main draw at the Nature Valley International, while compatriots Jay Clarke and Jonathan Gray have received wild cards into the qualifying event at Devonshire Park.
Norrie broke into the top 100 for the first time this year after reaching his first ATP Tour semi-final in Lyon where he scored the biggest win of his career to date, beating world No.10 John Isner. He went on to reach the second round at Roland Garros last month, pushing No.15 seed Lucas Poille to four sets. Norrie will join fellow wild cards Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the 28-man draw at the Nature Valley International.
Women's qualifying began at the Nature Valley International on Friday with British wild card recipient Katy Dunne moving a step closer to joining British No.1 Johanna Konta in the main draw at the WTA Tour Premier event, beating Lara Arruabarrena 6-2 6-2 in the opening round. On Saturday Dunne will take on Natalia Vikhlyantseva, conqueror of Britain's Naomi Broady, for a place in the main draw.
Elsewhere, qualifying No.8 seed Christina McHale advanced 6-2 6-4 over Gabriella Dabrowski, and will take on top seed Yulia Putinseva for a main draw berth. Meanwhile, Andrea Hlavackova beat No.12 seed Veronica Cepede Royg to earn herself a final round qualifying assignment against No.2 seed Bernarda Pera.
The men’s qualifying draw begins on Saturday with wild card Gray tasked with a tough assignment against No.2 seed Alex de Minaur, and No.4 seeded wild card recipient Clarke facing off against Marek Jaloveic. Qualifying top seed and world No.14 Jack Sock will also take to the court on Saturday, running out against Daniel Brands.
Follow the action at the Nature Valley International
Keep up with the stars of British and international tennis from the Nature Valley International at Devonshire Park by following British Tennis on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
|