10 Things: Eastbourne
1) Radwanska strikes back.
World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska appeared poised to begin her grass court prep in earnest at the Aegon Classic, but saw her hopes stunted by the streaking CoCo Vandeweghe at the beginning of the week. Top seed at the Aegon International, things won’t get any easier for the 2015 finalist, who could play dangerous opponents like 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard or the surging No.15 seed Irina-Camelia Begu before even hitting the quarterfinals.
2) Bencic’s big return.
Things began to come together for the Swiss Miss around this time last year, winning her first career title at the Aegon International at the start of an amazing summer for the youngster. Seeded No.3, she is projected to play Carla Suárez Navarro in the quarterfinals; typically thought of as a clay courter, the Spaniard made it all the way to the semifinals in Birmingham, and could be posed to do more damage this week.
3) Bacsinszky kicks off grass court campaign.
Breaking through at last year’s French Open, Bacsinszky is more than capable on grass courts, having made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon with a win over former finalist Sabine Lisicki. The Swiss star opens against Kristina Mladenovic, who has shown signs of life after a slow start to 2016 – winning the French Open women’s doubles title with Mallorca Open champ Caroline Garcia.
4) Safarova surging forward.
Seeded in Bacsinszky’s section of the draw is Lucie Safarova, another player who has played well on both sides of the Channel. Runner-up at last year’s French Open, Safarova made her major breakthrough two years ago when she reached the final four at Wimbledon, falling to eventual champion Petra Kvitova. On the back foot due to illness and injury, how well will the Czech veteran rebound this week?
5) The British are coming.
Four British women headline the main draw of the Aegon International, led by No.11 seed Johanna Konta. Niggling injuries contributed to an early loss in Nottingham, but Konta is back on the surface where it all began one year ago. So too is Heather Watson, who was within inches of upsetting Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Tara Moore is hoping to back up her quarterfinal run in Nottingham, while Naomi Broady hopes to make a splash in Eastbourne.
6) Kvitova in search of inspiration.
One of the best grass court players of her generation, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova is seeded No.5 in Eastbourne, and hopes to get on a roll ahead of her most successful major tournament. In the same quarter as No.2 seed Roberta Vinci, the Czech powerhouse opens against the big-hitting Timea Babos, with Konta potentially looming in the third round.
7) Wozniacki on the comeback trail.
Caroline Wozniacki was one of the tournament’s early winners on Sunday, setting up a second round encounter with No.7 seed Samantha Stosur. The Aussie is coming off a run to the French Open semifinals, but has never been comfortable on grass, giving the former No.1 the opportunity to pull off an upset and kickstart her own comeback from an ankle injury that kept her off-court through the clay court season.
8) Youth is served.
One of the most entertaining opening round match-ups occurred on Sunday evening between former French Open junior champion Daria Kasatkina and former junior Wimbledon champion Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian knocked out Kasatkina in her first WTA tour-level grass court match, recovering from a set down to play No.12 seed Dominika Cibulkova. Can the Qatar Open finalist get on another roll?
9) Santina headline doubles draw.
Their quest for a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam may have come to a close, but the season is hardly half over for reigning Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, who reunite for their first tournament since the French Open. Top seeds in Eastbourne, Santina opens against wildcards Stosur and Lucie Safarova, while Birmingham semifinalists Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan are on the other half of the draw, seeded No.2.
10) And see where you can watch action from Eastbourne on TennisTV!
