The ATP 250 in Eastbourne serves as the final preparatory tournament for Wimbledon in the UK. There are seven matches on Monday headlined by the British wild card Ryan Peniston who will look to rewrite another fairytale on grass. We predict all the matches on Day 1, with three of those in a separate article. Who do you think will advance?
ATP Eastbourne Day 1 Predictions
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs J.J. Wolf
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tomas Martin Etcheverry will play for the first time in nearly three weeks. The Argentine has made striking progress this season. He compiled a 22-11 record on clay and attained a career-best result at Grand Slam level by reaching the French Open quarterfinals. But the abrupt transition from clay to slick grass offers fewer guarantees of hitting such numbers. His point construction will be tested immensely as he doesn’t have too much reaction time here. Wolf plays well on comparable quicker courts, but he doesn’t have any pedigree to lean on the lawns. It’s a real toss of the coin, but the American has the bigger and more effective weapons to pull through.
Prediction: Wolf in 3
Sebastian Baez vs Nuno Borges
Head-to-head: Borges 1-0 Baez
Sebastian Baez has played five times on grass at pro level. Nuno Borges hasn’t played a lot either. But the Portuguese world #69 comes in with priceless momentum after his run to the Nottingham Challenger quarterfinal–a run that was halted by eventual champion Andy Murray. Borges will likely make that extra mileage count.
Prediction: Borges in 2
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Brandon Nakashima vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: Nakashima 1-1 Vukic
Last year’s grass court swing was profitable for Nakashima who picked up substantial ranking points that laid the foundation for a Top-50 year-end ranking. He didn’t play a lot of tennis in the first half of 2023 largely because of a persistent knee injury. So his main aim was probably trying to be healthy before Wimbledon, where he memorably reached the fourth round last summer. Aleksandar Vukic recently made his Top 100 debut after a sterling season on the Challenger circuit. Vukic had a strong qualifying run in Eastbourne although he beat lesser-ranked players. But taking on the tried and tested Nakashima in the main draw is a different ball game.
Prediction: Nakashima in 2
Marc-Andrea Huesler vs Ryan Peniston
Head-to-head: Peniston 2-0 Huesler
Last year, Ryan Peniston made waves in the British summer, beating the Scandinavian duo of Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. Peniston has always held this time of the tennis calendar in high estimation. He expanded his list of casualties this year to include former top-25 player Ugo Humbert whom he defeated in the first round at Queen’s Club. Marc-Andrea Huesler has been hit-and-miss this season. The Swiss southpaw broke the Top 50 in February, but his form has taken a sharp nosedive in recent months and currently occupies 83rd spot in the live rankings. Peniston is primed to do an encore of his breakthrough run from last year.
Prediction: Peniston in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
