A couple of quarter-final picks from Eastbourne today, and both are closer than the rankings suggest. We've got two matches where the favorite isn't exactly cruising in, so let's get into it.
WTA Lexus Eastbourne Open Predictions
Caty McNally vs Petra Marcinko
Head-to-head: McNally 2-0 Marcinko
McNally leads this head-to-head 2-0, though both are ranked almost identically right now and the gap between them is razor thin on paper. On grass, McNally's big serve and flat groundstrokes are genuinely hard to deal with and that's been the difference when they've met before. Marcinko is a capable player but she's never really shown that she's comfortable on this surface at this level.
That said, three-setters seem to follow McNally around, and this H2H being 2-0 doesn't mean it's been easy. I think she gets through, but Marcinko will make her work for it.
Prediction: McNally in 3
Tatjana Maria vs Tereza Valentova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Maria is 112 in the world but that ranking tells you almost nothing about what she does on grass. She's one of the most awkward players on the surface, with that extreme slice and high-kick serve, which is particularly brutal in the low-bounce conditions at Eastbourne, that drags opponents completely out of their rhythm and she's pulled off results here before that nobody saw coming. Valentova is ranked higher and is the younger player, but grass is where Maria is most dangerous and first meetings against her tend to go badly for opponents who haven't figured out her patterns yet.
Maria in 3 feels right, all things considered. The conditions suit everything she does well.
Prediction: Maria in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire