The biggest grass tournament on the WTA Tour (outside of Wimbledon) is the #NatureValleyInternational, held just one week before the grand event. This provides the players with the golden opportunity to finetune their game and gain the momentum heading into the third Grand Slam of the year, and with eight of the top-10 competing in the draw, we are definitely set for a week of high-quality tennis.
First Quarter: Can the Barty Party continue?
At the time of writing, top seed #AshleighBarty is into her second consecutive final at the Nature Valley Classic after lifting the French Open trophy, which puts her just two points behind Osaka on the rankings. Assuming she won the title which will allow her to top the rankings for the first time in her career, there is a high possibility that she will withdraw from Eastbourne to conserve energy for Wimbledon.
However, if she failed to capture the number one ranking in Birmingham, Eastbourne is the perfect chance for her to seal the deal. Handed a friendly draw, Barty will face her first tough test in the third round where home favourite #JohannaKonta could await. Qualifier #DayanaYastremska goes up against the Brit in a blockbuster first-round match and the winner of that encounter could provide a real challenge for the Australian.
Ninth seed #AnastasijaSevastova came off a run to the semifinals of the Mallorca Open, where she had always performed well. She faces lucky-loser #DariaGavrilova in the opener but the name to keep a lookout for would be fifth seed #ElinaSvitolina. The Ukrainian has struggled with a knee injury since March and looked lacklustre in her first-round loss to Gasparyan in Birmingham last week.
Svitolina faces either local wildcard #HeatherWatson or #AlizeCornet in her first match but Sevastova will be looking to take full advantage of the draw. Nonetheless, if the fifth seed’s knee can hold up, a quarterfinal appearance should be doable.
Prediction: Konta d. Sevastova
Second Quarter: Halep returns into action
Fourth seed #AngeliqueKerber was handed a wildcard into the tournament and she came off an encouraging run to the last four in Mallorca having defeated Sharapova and Garcia along the way. However, her first match should be a battle as she will either face former top-five player #SamanthaStosur or the in-form #SofiaKenin, who is into the final in Mallorca. Kenin should fancy her chances considering how well her game works on grass, but fatigue could be another issue.
#JuliaGoerges, who is in the final of Birmingham this week, opens against #LesiaTsurenko and could be another potential opponent for Kerber in the third round. Kerber will look to gain some momentum before entering Wimbledon, where she is the defending champion.
#BarboraStrycova is always a danger on grass and she is lurking in the second quarter as well. #CamilaGiorgi finally returns into action for the first time since March and is in desperate need of rhythm heading into the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club where she made a breakthrough quarterfinal last year.
However, she faces the crafty #HsiehSuwei in her first match back, and the Taiwanese never gives her opponent any rhythm to work with, hence this could be considered the worst draw the Italian could have asked for. What could be worse for Giorgi? The fact that #SimonaHalep is waiting in the second round.
Halep will face the winner of Giorgi and Hsieh, which is a cruel draw for the Romanian as well. She received a wildcard into the tournament hoping to gain some match practice before Wimbledon but Hsieh, having defeated her at Wimbledon last year, and Giorgi, whose game is lethal on grass, could hand her an early exit.
Prediction: Kerber d. Strycova
Third Quarter: Defending finalist Sabalenka desperately looking for momentum
Eighth seed #ArynaSabalenka reached the final last year as an unseeded player but comes into the tournament on a three-match losing streak having lost her first two matches on grass this year. #CarlaSuarezNavarro will likely be her first opponent but the Spaniard’s game provides no threat on grass which means that the Belarusian could finally earn her first win in a month.
#DariaKasatkina, working with her new coach Carlos Martinez for the first time in a tournament, faces former top-10 player #AndreaPetkovic in the opener and could face defending champion #CarolineWozniacki in the second round. Wozniacki received a tough draw as well, having to battle past 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist #KirstenFlipkens in the first round. Her title defence could end earlier than expected this week.
Third seed #KikiBertens continues her journey on grass having reached the final in her homeland ‘s-Hertogenbosch but lost a heartbreaking final after failing to convert five match points against Riske. She received a manageable draw although 16th seed #AnettKontaveit could pose some danger in the third round.
Prediction: Bertens d. Sabalenka
Fourth Quarter: An abundance of quality
Seventh seed #SloaneStephens has received a tough draw as she will face either #MihaelaBuzarnescu or the resurgent #JelenaOstapenko in her first match. The Latvian reached the quarterfinals in Birmingham last week and is the defending Wimbledon semifinalist hence she should be able to upset the American, with Stephens not being comfortable on this surface.
#BelindaBencic, who is also into the Mallorca final this week, will come into Eastbourne expecting a battle in the opener as she faces nemesis #VeronikaKudermetova. The Russian leads their head-to-head 2-0 and will look to conquer a possibly fatigued Swiss after sailing through the qualifying rounds. Kudermetova is a name to watch out for this week.
#MarketaVondrousova, the Roland Garros finalist, is back in action for the first time since her breakthrough run. She is set for a mouthwatering clash with second seed and compatriot #KarolinaPliskova in the third round, but the higher-ranked Czech has to first battle past either #MargaritaGasparyan or #KaterinaSiniakova. Being a former champion in 2017, Pliskova is one of the title favourites this week.
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