There should be plenty of entertaining tennis on day two at the WTA Eastbourne International with some of the world’s best players set to take to the courts at Devonshire Park. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Aryna Sabalenka vs Bernarda Pera. But who will book their place in the second round?
WTA Eastbourne International Day 2 Predictions
Bianca Andreescu vs Christina McHale
Head-to-head: first meeting
It is hard to know quite what to expect of Bianca Andreescu this week. The Canadian’s talent is not in question, but she has played very little tennis since her breakthrough season in 2019. In fact, she did not even play much tennis that season. She did manage to compete at the French Open, but looked undercooked and lost to eventual semifinalist Tamara Zidansek in the first round, before suffering another disappointing defeat in the first round in Berlin.
She has been handed what looks like another tough draw at the WTA Eastbourne International. Christina McHale may not quite have fulfilled her early promise, but she is an experienced campaigner and impressed in coming through the qualifying with wins over Zhu Lin and Anastasija Sevastova. However, Andreescu’s level does look to be trending broadly upwards and if she can find something close to her best tennis, this should be a winnable match for the 2019 US Open champion.
Prediction: Andreescu in 3
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Petra Martic vs Belinda Bencic
Head-to-head: Martic 1-1 Bencic
One imagines that Petra Martic was less than pleased with this draw. The Croatian fell short of expectations at the French Open, losing in the first round to Camila Giorgi, and she hardly improved on that showing last time out at the WTA Berlin Open. She did manage to get the better of the unheralded Asia Muhammad in the first round, but had to go the distance to do so, before losing in the second round to Belinda Bencic.
Unfortunately for Martic, there seems to be little reason to expect a different outcome this time around. Bencic may not be in sparking form herself, but the Swiss played solid tennis to reach the final in Berlin and may well feel that she should have won that match too. If she can maintain the level she displayed in reaching the title match in Berlin, she should have enough to account for Martic, whose success on the grass has been sporadic at best.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
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Heather Watson vs Iga Swiatek
Head-to-head: Swiatek 1-0 Watson
After sweeping through the first week at the French Open whilst other challengers fell all round, Iga Swiatek looked almost certain to defend her title in Paris. But instead she was swept aside in straight-sets by Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals, leaving the Pole with much to ponder ahead of the grass-court season. It is hard to know what her chances are over the coming weeks, with this just the third grass-court match of her professional career.
It is not particularly encouraging that she lost the first two although much has changed for Swiatek since 2019. Regardless, she looks set for a stern test here. She did thrash Heather Watson in their only previous meeting, but the Briton is an accomplished grass-courter and last week reached the semifinals in Nottingham. But Swiatek, despite not being the best equipped player for grass-court tennis, should have just about enough power from the baseline to see off Watson’s challenge.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
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Daria Kasatkina vs Vera Zvonareva
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 1-1 Zvonareva
This looks to have the makings of an entertaining clash. Daria Kasatkina remains troubled by inconsistency, but she found a rich vein of form last week in Nottingham where she reached the final. Unfortunately for the Russian, she ran out of steam in the final, losing there to Ons Jabeur in straight sets. But it was an encouraging outing for the former-world #10, one that has surely given her confidence heading into the WTA Eastbourne International.
Vera Zvonareva, meanwhile, looked sharp in coming through the qualifying with straight-sets wins over Fiona Ferro and Kristina Mladenovic. At 36, she may well be writing the final chapter in her career, but no player who has reached a final at Wimbledon should be underestimated on a grass court. She has the quality to test her compatriot Kasatkina. But with Kasatkina in such good touch, expect the 24-year-old to have enough to reach the second round.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
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