Preview: Kerber, 8 of Top 10; Djokovic at Combined ATP/WTA Eastbourne
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The Aegon International Eastbourne returns to a men’s and women’s combined event the week before Wimbledon, where eight of the Top 10 turn out for a stellar women’s field.
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Six former champions are in the field, including world No. 1 Angie Kerber, and former Wimbledon winner and comebacker Petra Kvitova. The dense field includes a number of opening-round challenges for seeds, including Kerber, Pliskova, Radwanska, Muguruza, Wozniacki and Ostapenko.
On the men’s side Novak Djokovic takes a wildcard looking for some last-minute All-England Club preparation, and the Serb will be hard-pressed by some of the biggest servers and top grasscourt players on the men’s tour.
Here is a look at the fields:
AEGON INTERNATIONAL EASTBOURNE
EASTBOURNE, Great Britain; surface: grass
Women’s Seeds: Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Dominika Cibulkova, Johanna Konta, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Kristina Mladenovic, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza, Elena Vesnina, Petra Kvitova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Timea Bacsinszky, Daria Gavrilova
Women’s Floaters: (WC) Naomi Broady, Ekatrina Makarova, Alison Riske, Alize Cornet, Julia Goerges, CiCi Bellis, Genie Bouchard, Naomi Osaka
Women’s Notes: Eight of the Top 10 seeds post for the 48-player draw with 16 byes for the seeds…
Potential tough starts for (1) Kerber vs. homegirl (WC) Broady, (10) Ostapenko vs. Makarova, (3) Pliskova vs. the Riske/Cornet winner, (8) Radwanska vs. the Goerges/Bellis winner, (11) Muguruza vs. Bouchard, and (6) Wozniacki vs. the Japanese riser Osaka…
Wildcards went to Kerber, Halep, Broady, Watson and Kvitova…
Pulling from the event were Monica Puig, Lucie Safarova, Yaroslava Shvedova, Samantha Stosur and Coco Vandeweghe…
The storied women’s event dates to 1974…
Cibulkova beat Pliskova in last year’s final…
Cibulkova looking to become the first back-to-back winner since Justine Henin in 2006-07…Martina Navratilova won five titles in a row in the ’80s and 11 overall in singles…
Former champs in the field are Cibulkova (2016), Vesnina (2013), Makarova (2010), Wozniacki (2009), Radwanska (2008), and Kuznetsova (2004).
Men’s Seeds: Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils, John Isner, Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, Mischa Zverev, Richard Gasquet, Diego Schwartzman
Men’s Floaters: Jiri Vesely, Jared Donaldson, Danill Medvedev
Men’s Notes: Djokovic the only Top 15 player in the field…
Interesting starts for the struggling (1) Djokovic vs. Vesely who the Serb is 0-1 career against, (8) Schwartzman vs. the big-serving Donaldson, and (5) Querrey vs. the riser Medvedev…
Wildcards were awarded to Djokovic, Monfils and Brit Cameron Norrie…
Pulling from the event were Aljaz Bedene, Pablo Cuevas, Dan Evans (caught doing blow), Feliciano Lopez, Florian Mayer, and Gilles Muller…
Djokovic looking at seeds Johnson or Querrey in semis…
Bryan brothers top seeds in doubles…
After two years in Nottingham the men’s event returns to Eastbourne…
Feliciano Lopez (2014-13) won the event the two most recent years the event was in Eastbourne, but pulled from the event after reaching the final last week at Queen’s Club…No former champions in the field.
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