Virginia Wade, who became the first US Open women's champion of the professional era in 1968, takes part in tonight's razzmatazz parade of luminaries and there will be an extra spring in her step if Anne Keothavong has won her first match in the main draw earlier in the day.

The British No1 faces Alexa Glatch, an American qualifier and about as decent a draw as it is possible to get, and though Keothavong has won only once in her past four tournaments on the hard courts of the United States after reaching the quarter-finals of the Stanford event last month, a victory today would carry significant kudos.

It is to be hoped that she can draw upon the experience of playing Venus Williams, the defending champion, on Centre Court in the second round of Wimbledon, where she was not fazed, to quell the twin anxieties of facing a crowd that will be rooting for her opponent and the nerves she is bound to feel.

Nigel Sears, Great Britain's Fed Cup coach, had hoped Keothavong would have had some British company in the main draw but Mel South and Elena Baltacha were beaten in the last round of qualifying - Baltacha suffering from back spasms when leading Julie Coin, of France, 4-1 in the final set of her match but refusing to call for a trainer. “I haven't recovered from the disappointment of that yet,” Sears said. “But I am very hopeful that if Anne brings her A game, things could work out really well. Anne so wants to do well here and that in itself brings pressures, but I know she looks on this as a good opportunity.

“These are the events that you play professional tennis for. Anne is 24, she has a lot of experience and you hope she plays the way we know she can.”