A few picks from the Nottingham qualifying draw to get into today, with some genuinely interesting matchups on the grass. Which of these do you think goes the distance?
WTA Lexus Nottingham Open Predictions
Zeynep Sonmez vs Lanlana Tararudee
Head-to-head: Sonmez 0-1 Tararudee
Tararudee leads this rivalry, though it's only one match deep. Sonmez is ranked higher and will feel she's capable of reversing that, but grass qualifying is a tough place to find your footing and Tararudee has shown she can handle these conditions. The ranking gap isn't massive enough to call this comfortably, and I think this one runs to three.
Prediction: Tararudee in 3
Oksana Selekhmeteva vs Taylah Preston
Head-to-head: Selekhmeteva 0-1 Preston
Preston is ranked 35 spots below Selekhmeteva, but that H2H counts for something and grass is where Australian players tend to feel more at home than their ranking suggests. Preston's game travels well to this surface and I feel like she's the one with the momentum here. That said, Selekhmeteva hasn't done enough on grass to inspire real confidence at this level.
Prediction: Preston in 2
Alicia Dudeney vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: First meeting
On paper this looks straightforward for Putintseva, who's ranked inside the top 100 and has the experience advantage by some distance. But Dudeney is a British wildcard on home grass in qualifying, and that combination has upset the odds before. Grass tends to compress the gap between tour-level players and those on the cusp, and Dudeney will know every blade of this surface. Putintseva's game, which can go cold at the worst moments, can be streaky and Dudeney in three feels very much on the cards, all things considered.
Prediction: Dudeney in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Loic Baratoux/ZUMA Press Wire