The Eastbourne tennis tournament steams forward into the second round and so do our tennis picks. The tournament began on Sunday because it needs to have a Saturday final to accommodate all players. So far, we’ve seen mostly by-the-book results. Andrea Petkovic beat Saisai Zheng yesterday in three sets. Petkovic dropped the first set but came back to win the final two sets. Aside from that, the other four women’s matches all ended in straight sets. Monica Puig beat Naomi Broady easily, winning 6-1, 6-1. Eugenie Bouchard, who has been struggling this season, got past Varvara Lepchenko with ease. Lepchenko only managed to win three games in total. Elena Vesnina beat Heather Watson, which was probably a downer for the British faithful who will see her at Wimbledon in a week’s time. Lastly, Ekaternia Makarova topped Tara Moore in a competitive match. Makarova won 7-5, 6-4.
Remember that this is the final tournament before Wimbledon, which begins next Monday, hence the need to conclude the tournament on Saturday and not Sunday. Let’s see which players are in best position to advance to the quarterfinals in this 32-player tournament. Here’s our tennis picks for the day:
Ana Konjuh vs. Monica Puig
Konjuh has already made the third round of Wimbledon in her career, so she can clearly be a threat on grass. Puig has also been able to make a modest run at Wimbledon, so she won’t feel entirely out of place on a grass court, either. What might make the difference here is that Konjuh remains a very young player, only 18 years old. Puig is 22 and has been around the block a few times. The consistency required of a higher-level professional is something that Puig hasn’t fully attained, to be sure. Yet, it’s also something Konjuh is only beginning to learn to develop. Puig exists at a later stage in her evolution as a player, and that’s a good reason to take her in this match. What should also inform a Puig pick is that the Puerto Rican crushed Naomi Broady in the first round, 6-1, 6-1. Puig is in good form and seems ready to sustain that level of performance, so take her with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Puig in three sets
Sara Errani vs. Andrea Petkovic
This is a matchup of two established veterans on tour. Errani is a terrific clay-court player and a solid hardcourt player, but grass is a weak spot. Errani has a very soft serve, one of the weakest serves in tennis. On clay, she can work her way into points and use her defense to get an advantage. On grass, though, a weak serve gets punished more than on other surfaces, because grass is the surface which demands the ability to win points quickly. The slick grass surface and the worn areas near the baseline create all sorts of weird bounces. Being able to win a point earlier rather than later enables a player to be less subject to an occasional bad bounce. Errani’s serve and overall game do not lend themselves to a quick-point playing style. For this basic reason, Errani profoundly struggles on grass. Petkovic should therefore be the favorite. Take Petkovic with your tennis picks to get the job done and advance.
Pick: Petkovic in three sets
Belinda Bencic vs. Elena Vesnina
This is a match which is shrouded by a basic question regarding Bencic’s health. Bencic had to withdraw from last week’s WTA event in Birmingham, raising questions about her availability in Eastbourne. She has obviously decided that she’s fit enough to play, but is she going to be strong enough to play with 100 percent of her energy, or will she just use this match as a chance to test her level of fitness for Wimbledon? It’s hard to say, but the very process of asking the question invites a lot of doubt about Bencic’s capacities. It makes more sense to go with Vesnina here. Take Vesnina with your tennis picks in this match. She’ll advance.
Pick: Vesnina in three sets
