Eastbourne Tennis: Draws throw up mouthwatering matches

The draws at the LTA Viking International Eastbourne have thrown up some mouthwatering match-ups in both the WTA 500 and ATP 250 events.
Sussex's Lui Maxted in action on the opening day at Eastbourne / Picture: GettySussex's Lui Maxted in action on the opening day at Eastbourne / Picture: Getty
Sussex's Lui Maxted in action on the opening day at Eastbourne / Picture: Getty

* 2021 Roland Garros runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to face 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko

* 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu pitched against 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys

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* 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to face Belarussian Egor Garasimov

When the main draw gets underway on Monday 21 June fans will be treated to a host of Grand Slam winners and finalists pitched against each other in the first round at Devonshire Park.

Recent Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will make the switch from clay to grass and faces a difficult opponent in 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.

2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, making her debut in Eastbourne, will take on 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys.

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2020 Roland Garros singles champion and 2021 doubles finalist in Paris Iga Swiatek will need to find her grass game quickly when she takes on Brit Heather Watson, fresh from her run to the semi finals in Birmingham.

On the men’s side 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will open his Eastbourne account against Belarussian Egor Garisimov. Fellow Frenchman and two-time Wimbledon semi finalist Richard Gasquet will face mercurial Kazakh Alexander Bublik.

On the first day of qualifying British wild card Alexander Gray scored an impressive win over top seed, Soonwoo Kwon 46 62 63. The 22 year-old from Twickenham, Surrey is playing in his first ATP Tour event, but did not let that phase him as he scored victory over the Korean ranked 79 in the world. He will now face Australia’s James Duckworth for a place in the main draw.