Teenagers Donna Vekic and Madison Keys will headline quarter-finals day at the Aegon Classic on Friday as the stars of the future make their presence felt at the WTA Tournament in Birmingham.

Sixteen-year-old Vekic is the youngest player in the singles draw and is up against accomplished Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the last eight. The teenager, who is coached by Briton David Felgate, earned her chance against Cirstea with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Maria Sanchez on Thursday. “I’m looking forward to my next match. The support that I’ve been getting from the crowd is really nice,” said Vekic. “I do like the attention that I get on court and hopefully I can make people happy by winning.”

Keys will face 2009 Aegon Classic champion Magdalena Rybarikova in their quarter-final. Keys, 18, outlasted sixth seed Mona Barthel, while Rybarikova caused an even bigger upset by knocking out top seed Kirsten Flipkens. 

At the other end of the age spectrum, 32-year-old Francesca Schiavone and 30-year-old Daniela Hantuchova face off in Friday’s second match on the Ann Jones Centre Court. Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion, eased past Marina Erakovic to earn a meeting with Hantuchova. Hantuchova had to work far harder for her win, coming from a set and a break down to beat Kristina Mladenovic 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Friday’s final singles match of the day sees 2011 Aegon Classic champion Sabine Lisicki take on 22-year-old American qualifier Alison Riske, who has now won her last five matches on the Priory Club’s lawn courts.