After a crazy day of tennis yesterday at the #NatureValleyInternational, proceedings are back to normal in Eastbourne as players need not compete in two singles matches on the same day again. With the weather forecast looking good, it seems like the rain will not affect play today. The third round matches are all set to go, with three stand-out matches which you must not miss.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Caroline Wozniacki
In a repeat of last year’s final, #ArynaSabalenka and #CarolineWozniacki will clash once again in Eastbourne. The two out-of-form players seemed to have found life in their games here at this tournament and will look to play out another thriller in front of the fans. Surprisingly, this match is scheduled on Court 1 but the small court means that the atmosphere would be livelier.
Sabalenka entered Eastbourne needing some momentum as she came in with a three-match losing streak. With her game being all over the place, the Belarusian had a bulk of points to defend and she knew it. As a result, she stepped up her game and steered towards a stress-free, comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Tamara Zidansek having won 82 percent of her first serves.
Wozniacki just had her wedding held last week and it is remarkable how the Dane managed to get herself into the competitive mood as she started her title defence campaign with two fantastic wins over Kirsten Flipkens and Andrea Petkovic respectively. Firing 28 winners to just nine unforced errors against the German, Wozniacki could be said to be playing some of her best tennis as she shrugged off the disappointment of a four-match losing streak entering Eastbourne.
This time, Wozniacki comes into the encounter as a huge favourite considering how well she has been playing and how her game will trouble Sabalenka. It will be a huge ask for the Belarusian, who is surprisingly the higher-ranked player in this match-up, to match Wozniacki’s level considering she had just returned to winning ways and we could not exactly be convinced that it will remain this way. With her powerful game, Sabalenka is unpredictable but she can definitely still blast anyone off the court on a good day.
Prediction: Wozniacki d. Sabalenka in three sets
Elise Mertens vs Karolina Pliskova
To be honest, it has been a very poor year for #EliseMertens outside of her triumph at the Qatar Total Open. She ended her clay-court season with just one quarterfinal appearance in Rabat and considering that clay is her most-favoured surface, it was a huge blow for the Belgian. However, it has been a couple of strong weeks on grass for Mertens, who reached her fourth quarterfinal in Mallorca where she fell to the eventual champion Sofia Kenin.
Mertens beat Monica Puig in the opening round here in Eastbourne while overcoming a mid-match setback to oust Roland Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova in three tough sets. Right now, she will face the biggest test of her grass-court season thus far, with second seed Karolina Pliskova awaiting.
#KarolinaPliskova will have good memories of her past results in Eastbourne, having reached the final in 2016 and lifted the title in 2017. Owning a 14-4 win-loss record at this tournament, Pliskova is the favourite to hoist the trophy once more after looking great in her opening match against Margarita Gasparyan. Being broken just once while serving out the match, the Czech put up an impressive display as she ousted the Russian in straight sets without much hassle.
This will be the first meeting between Mertens and Pliskova, and the Czech’s serve might ultimately prove too much for the Belgian on grass. It would be a huge surprise if Mertens could run away with the win today.
Prediction: Ka.Pliskova d. Mertens in straight sets
Jelena Ostapenko vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
#JelenaOstapenko has finally found some of her best form on grass, where her game translates well. Entering the grass-court season with a poor 7-16 win-loss record in the season, the Latvian’s powerful tennis finally reaped its rewards when she reached the quarterfinals at the Nature Valley Classic — and was just one point away from the last four but wasted five match points against Petra Martic.
Ostapenko claimed her first top-10 win since March 2018 after defeating Sloane Stephens in the second round here in Eastbourne. Losing the first set 1-6 after hitting just one winner to 20 unforced errors, the Latvian bounced back to seal the huge win 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 to book her spot in the third round.
#EkaterinaAlexandrova has had a decent season so far, and was first exposed to the limelight when she stunned Ana Ivanovic at Wimbledon back in 2016 as an unknown player. Alexandrova reached a couple of WTA quarterfinals this year and will be looking to reach yet another one, which will be her first on grass, with a win over Ostapenko.
Alexandrova served 14 aces to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round before recovering from an early deficit to stun the in-form Belinda Bencic in three tough sets. The Russian’s serve has been working extremely well this week hence it will definitely be a weapon against the Latvian today. Owning a 2-1 lead in her head-to-head record against Ostapenko, she will enter the match with confidence although I think this time the Latvian will make her power count.
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