Eastbourne International 2021: Women's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction
The 2021 Eastbourne International will get underway on Monday, with a slew of top players headlining a power-packed lineup. With Wimbledon set to begin next week, the players would want to get as much match practice on grass as possible.
2018 finalist Aryna Sabalenka leads the Eastbourne field, while Elina Svitolina, Bianca Andreescu and Iga Swiatek make up the rest of the top four seeds. Also in the mix are defending champion Karolina Pliskova and French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, as well as Belinda Bencic, Daria Kasatkina and Ons Jabeur - a trio of players who have reached the finals at this week's grasscourt events (Berlin and Birmingham).
On that note, here's a look at how the women's singles draw at Eastbourne is expected to unfold:
Top half: Karolina Pliskova looks to defend her title while Aryna Sabalenka eyes her first grasscourt triumph
Top-seeded players: [1] Aryna Sabalenka, [3] Bianca Andreescu, [5] Karolina Pliskova and [6] Belinda Bencic
Expected semifinal: Aryna Sabalenka vs Bianca Andreescu
Dark horse: Veronika Kudermetova
Analysis: Aryna Sabalenka has had a stellar first half of the season, and would have been hoping to carry the momentum on to grass as well. But after receiving a bye in the opening round of the Berlin Open last week, Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat to Madison Keys in the second round.
While Sabelnka will play her first match at Eastbourne against a qualifier, she could face the tricky Veronika Kudermetova in the second round. The 23-year-old is then slated to meet defending champion Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals.
Pliskova, struggling for form all season, will start her campaign against Donna Vekic. Incidentally, Vekic is the only player that Pliskova has defeated since getting double-bagelled in the final of the Italian Open.
Third seed Bianca Andreescu, meanwhile, is on a two-match losing streak at the moment. She will be desperately hoping to reverse her fortunes when she takes the court to face Madison Keys in the first round.
If the 2019 US Open champion is able to clear that hurdle, she might face Anett Kontaveit in the next round. Kontaveit on her part faces veteran Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in her first grasscourt match of the season.
Also in this section is the in-form Belinda Bencic, who has shown glimpses of her peak form over the last one week. Always a difficult opponent, especially on grass, Bencic will be looking to go deep at Eastbourne too.
The Swiss is set to play Petra Martic in the first round and could face Samantha Stosur in the second.
Predicted semifinal: Belinda Bencic def. Aryna Sabalenka
Bottom half: Daria Kasatkina, Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur look to upset the seeds
Top-seeded players: [2] Elina Svitolina, [4] Iga Swiatek, [7] Elise Mertens and [8] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Expected semifinal: Elina Svitolina vs Iga Swiatek
Dark horse: Elena Rybakina
Analysis: Elina Svitolina didn't have the best start to her grasscourt season as she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round at Berlin. At Eastbourne this week, the Ukrainian will face French Open quarterfinalist Paula Badosa in her opening match.
While Svitolina is expected to get past the Spaniard, a potential second-round encounter against Elena Rybakina could be very tricky. Rybakina has been in decent form of late, and her powerful groundstrokes and strong net play could prove a bit too much to handle for Svitolina.
Iga Swiatek, who is yet to win a match on grass in her career, plays wildcard Heather Watson in the first round. A win over Watson could set up a potential clash with Birmingham finalist Daria Kastakina, who seems to have found her groove on the grass courts of England.
Also in this section is Roland Garros runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian will play her maiden grasscourt match of the season against the big hitting Jelena Ostapenko.
If Pavlyuchenkova comes through that match, she might face the in-form Ons Jabeur in the next round.
This week will also see Coco Gauff playing her first grasscourt match since her dream run at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. The teenager faces seventh seed Elise Mertens in the first round, and could potentially meet Svitolina or Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Predicted semifinal: Elena Rybakina def. Ons Jabeur
Prediction for the final
Belinda Bencic def. Elena Rybakina
Notable first-round matches
Donna Vekic vs Karolina Pliskova
Bianca Andreescu vs Madison Keys
Elise Mertens vs Coco Gauff
Elina Svitolina vs Paula Badosa