A few first-round picks from Eastbourne today, where the grass is fast and the margins are thin. We've got three matches worth talking about, including a home-crowd moment for Jacob Fearnley that could be one of the more fun watches of the day.
Lexus Eastbourne Open Predictions
Daniel Altmaier vs Aleksandar Kovacevic
Head-to-head: Altmaier 2-2 Kovacevic
A dead-even series, and honestly this one feels like a coin flip on grass. Altmaier's big lefty serve gives him a natural edge on this surface, and he's the kind of player who can lean on that weapon on a fast court when the rest of his game isn't clicking. Kovacevic is a solid ball-striker but grass has never been where he's done his best work and there's not much in the rankings to separate them.
I think Altmaier's serve tips it in three.
Prediction: Altmaier in 3
Jenson Brooksby vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: Brooksby 2-1 Vukic
Brooksby leads the head-to-head, but his return to the tour after a long absence has been rocky, and he hasn't really looked like the player who built that record. Vukic is ranked 25 spots below him and is no one's idea of a grass-court specialist, but he's been competing consistently and that counts for something against a guy who's still finding his footing again. The conditions should tighten up the rallies and make this more of a serving contest, and Vukic has enough firepower to steal it in a third, all things considered.
Prediction: Vukic in 3
Thiago Agustin Tirante vs Jacob Fearnley
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tirante is the higher-ranked player and has had a solid year, but grass is about as far from his comfort zone as it gets. He's a clay grinder at heart and hasn't shown much at all on faster surfaces. That said, Fearnley is a Brit playing in front of a home crowd at an event where the conditions actually suit his game, and for a 130-ranked player he's shown some real quality, particularly on home soil, in patches this year. Hard to see this being competitive at all once the crowd gets behind him and the surface starts doing its work.
Fearnley wins this in three.
Prediction: Fearnley in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Matthieu Mirville/ZUMA Press Wire