Day 3 at the Eastbourne International brings some exciting tennis to the fans as the top seeds play their first match to start their final preparations for Wimbledon. Notable players that will be featured are the top two British players, Kyle Edmund and Cameron Norrie, as will play each other for a place in the third round. Exciting NextGen names such as Hubert Hurkacz and Nicolas Jarry will also be included. What should we expect to see happen in Eastbourne on Wednesday? Let’s predict the matches.
ATP Eastbourne International Day 3 Predictions
Fernando Verdasco vs Juan Ignacio Londero
Head-to-head: First meeting
Londero is coming in as a lucky loser and will play his second ever professional match on grass against Verdasco, whereas the Spaniard will be playing his 87th. Even though neither player prefers grass, Verdasco’s previous experience on the surface will prove crucial. Even though Verdasco has yet to win a match on grass yet this season, the Spaniard should be able to get through this match with some ease simply because of his experience and knows how to move on grass.
Prediction: Verdasco in 2
Gilles Simon vs Nicolas Jarry
Head-to-head: Simon leads 1-0
The pair met two years ago at Wimbledon, and Simon beat Jarry in straight sets. A lot of things have changed since, but Simon is still the favourite coming into this match. Simon seems to have found a resurgence in form on the grass: reaching the final at Queen’s last week, and beating Sandgren in straight sets in the first round here.
Jarry will need to play outside his comfort zone by finishing points at the net, and not engage in long rallies with Simon as the Frenchman can rally all day without making a single unforced error. Simon should get through this match considering his recent form, but it could be all very close sets.
Prediction: Simon in 2
Steve Johnson vs Hubert Hurkacz
Head-to-head: First meeting
Hurkacz is an exciting young Polish player who is slowly climbing up the rankings. It will be a close match, as Johnson is not having his best season this year. If Hurkacz can use his forehand to do some damage on Johnson’s backhand, which is usually a defensive slice, then he has a good chance. But the young Pole can be inconsistent at times primarily due to the lack of experience.
Johnson will most likely emerge as the winner, but no doubt Hurkacz will learn a lot from this match.
Prediction: Johnson in 3
Guido Pella vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-head: 1-1
Even though Pella is the top seed here at Eastbourne this week, it would hardly be surprising or called an upset if he loses here. The Argentine does not really play well on grass and is more suited to the clay. Even though Fritz is not the best grass court player out there, it should be enough to get a win over Pella.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Kyle Edmund vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: First meeting
The clash of the top two British men. It is safe to safe neither player has had a spectacular 2019. Each has a negative win-loss record this year (Edmund has a 6-11 win-loss deficit, and Norrie is on an 11-14 deficit.) Both Edmund and Norrie will be hoping to use this match to turn their season around and gain some momentum coming into Wimbledon as beating each other will for sure give their individual game’s a lot of confidence.
In terms of who will win this match, the favourite is Edmund. He is the more consistent out of the two, as Norrie can be up and down at times, so Edmund should win this match to progress to the next round.
Prediction: Edmund in 2
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
