A few qualifying picks from Eastbourne today, where grass-court season is getting underway and these early rounds can throw up some genuinely awkward matches. Which of these three do you think has the smoothest path through?
WTA Lexus Eastbourne Open Predictions
Petra Marcinko vs Simona Waltert
Head-to-head: Marcinko 0-3 Waltert
That H2H is a real problem. Waltert has beaten Marcinko every time they've met, and Marcinko is going to have to find something different on a surface neither of them plays regularly. Waltert is ranked lower, but the record speaks for itself and grass qualifying is exactly the kind of setting where upsets can easily go the wrong way for the higher-ranked player.
That said, Marcinko's ranking advantage does reflect real form across the season, and at some point she's due a win in this matchup. I think the grass gives her enough of a reset to finally break that run, though it probably goes the distance.
Prediction: Marcinko in 3
Kamilla Rakhimova vs Oksana Selekhmeteva
Head-to-head: Rakhimova 2-2 Selekhmeteva
A dead-even rivalry on paper, so the ranking gap matters more here. Rakhimova has been the more consistent player over the course of the season and comes in ranked 24 spots higher, and on a surface like grass where the margins are so fine, that difference in overall quality tends to show up in the third set when both players are scrapping.
Prediction: Rakhimova in 3
Zeynep Sonmez vs Hanne Vandewinkel
Head-to-head: Sonmez 0-1 Vandewinkel
Vandewinkel has the one win in this matchup, but Sonmez is ranked nearly 40 spots higher and has been the more active player on tour. On grass, Vandewinkel can be tricky, the surface tends to reward the kind of flat, low ball she likes to hit, but Sonmez has enough variety and experience to manage it, all things considered. Feel like this one goes three sets before Sonmez pulls it out.
Prediction: Sonmez in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Oscar J. Barroso/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire