The final women’s tournament before Wimbledon begins on Monday at the WTA Eastbourne International. There is an exciting opening day scheduled for the event with several star names set to take to the court, including four former-Grand Slam finalists or champions. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Jelena Ostapenko vs Greet Minnen. But who will book their spot in the second round?
WTA Eastbourne Day 1 Predictions
Sorana Cirstea vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Kalinina 2-0 Cirstea
Cirstea’s overall record on grass is better than Kalinina’s. She is a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist and her powerful hitting is dangerous on the surface when she finds her range. However, Kalinina won the pair’s only meeting on grass, although Cirstea did have to retire in the second set of that match. The Romanian also suffered a disappointing loss to Zhu Lin last week in Birmingham. Cirstea’s inconsistency makes her matches hard to predict, but Kalinina gets a slight edge in this matchup. Her consistent style is one that is capable of frustrating Cirstea once again, although it is likely to be a tight battle.
Prediction: Kalinina in 3
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Marie Bouzkova vs Harriet Dart
Head-to-head: first meeting
There is an intriguing clash of styles in this contest. Dart tries to play as aggressively as possible, while Bouzkova is comfortable playing longer rallies and redirecting her opponent’s pace if she needs too. It will be a tricky balancing act for Dart in this match. She cannot afford to give Bouzkova too many free points, but at the same time she needs to be aggressive to give herself the best chance of prevailing. Overall, Bouzkova’s solidity will probably be a little too tough to overcome.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 2
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Leylah Fernandez vs Barbora Krejcikova
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 1-0 Fernandez
Both players reached the quarterfinal last week in Birmingham. However, each woman will view their losses at that stage to Ajla Tomljanovic and Anastasia Potapova respectively as big missed opportunities. Nonetheless, Krejcikova in particular will take confidence from that run, after she endured a very rough clay-court season. This matchup could go either way, but Fernandez’s slightly weaker serve could be what makes the difference on grass. The Canadian needs to keep her first-serve percentage high against Krejcikova.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Main photo credit: Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports
