Southsea to welcome British Fed Cup aces

Fed Cup stars Gabriella Taylor and Katie Boulter have been handed wild cards for the tournament, which begins on Tuesday (11am).

But they will face a major international challenge in pursuit of victory in the four-day ITF competition.

A high-quality field has been assembled for the second running of the event, which proved a huge success on its debut last season.

Aside from Boulter (139) and Taylor (182), the other 14 contenders are all in the top 100 of the world rankings.

They will be led by Croatia's Petra Martic, who is currently ranked 35, and include defending champion Tatjana Maria (64).

Tournament director Julie Piper said: '˜We are delighted to welcome such a high-quality field to the Fuzion 100 Southsea Trophy. 

'˜We are looking forward to some fantastic matches on the seafront in Southsea.'

Taylor, 20, has enjoyed a breakthrough year '“ winning three ITF Pro Circuit events in Australia and achieving a career-high ranking of 171 last month.  

Alongside Boulter, she reached the quarter-finals of the Fuzion 100 Surbiton Trophy earlier this month.

Boulter, 21, also made the last eight of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham.

The Southsea Trophy is a key warm-up event ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, July 2. For details, visit lta.org.uk