South African top female player Chanel Simmonds and rising star Zoe Kruger head the list of women receiving wild cards for the first week of the two back-to-back Women’s ITF $25 000 World Tour events at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus.

Simmonds ranked No 336, narrowly missed the direct entry cut-off but nonetheless is set to lead the South African charge again this year in the Ilana Kloss International.

The 28-year-old reached the quarter-final round in the first week of the tournament last year after losing to Brit Samantha Sharan.

She advanced to the last-eight stage in the second week before the tournament was cancelled mid-way through due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zoë Kruger, rising Star and daughter of the late Springbok and Bulls rugby legend, Ruben Kruger, was also awarded a wildcard, as well as Suzanie Pretorius. That boosted South Africa’s main-draw representation to three players.

The two tournaments will be Kruger’s first competitive action of 2021 – she last played the W15 Monastir in Tunisia in November 2020.

In addition to the three main draw wild cards, TSA also announced the five women who have been awarded wildcard entries into the qualifying tournament. Zoë Kruger’s younger sister, Isabella Kruger, is among this group.

Other players receiving qualifying wild cards for week 1 of the Ilana Kloss International includes Kelly Arends, Katie Poluta, Delien Kleinhans and Ntokozo Zungu.

The first week of the Ilana Kloss International runs from Monday, February 8, to Sunday, February 14.

The second week takes place from Monday, February 15, to Sunday, February 21.

Both events will take place in a bio-secure bubble, under strict COVID-19 protocols.

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