Lexus Eastbourne Open: Two British stars left standing after entertaining week of tennis at event undeterred by downgrade
As tennis fever sweeps across the UK, with Wimbledon on the horizon, the Eastbourne Open has been as entertaining as ever despite the downgrade of the WTA event.
The women’s side of the event was this year downgraded to WTA 250 status – meaning the women's champion will receive 250 ranking points instead of 500.
That didn’t stop British number one Emma Raducanu from returning for a second year – alongside defending Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion Barbora Krejcikova; reigning Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina; two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur and top 20 star Jeļena Ostapenko.
Krejcikova, who has twice played in Eastbourne before, achieved her first win in East Sussex after saving two, consecutive match points against Harriet Dart. She then went one better and saved three match points on the bounce before beating Jodie Burrage. A shame for the two British wildcards but what incredible fighting spirit from the Czech – who sadly had to pull out of the tournament with a right thigh injury.
Speaking about the Lexus Eastbourne Open, after her first match, Krejcikova said: “I like to play matches before the slams, so it's nice to have the tournament here. To be honest, the hospitality, I feel it's even better than last year, even though it was a bigger tournament.
“It's pretty nice. I mean, the sea is beautiful and you can just chill and relax. There's a lot of nature. It's not a huge city and I also like that there is an elderly population. It's closer to me.”
It was also brilliant to see Brighton’s rising star Sonay Kartal in action as well – with a whole host of British players taking to the courts in Eastbourne this week.
On the men’s side, we have been treated to an incredible line-up. The USA’s world number four Taylor Fritz returned to Eastbourne as defending champion, and is looking to add another grass-court title to his collection – having already won three times at Devonshire Park.
His match against Joao Fonseca was arguably the most eye-catching fixture of the week – and we were due to get a second instalment on Thursday after Wednesday evening’s match was postponed due to darkness.
It’s worth mentioning a hilarious moment in that match when umpire Mohamed Lahyani politely asked a seagull to leave the court. Earlier in the day, Raducanu was about to serve against Maya Joint, when someone in the crowd shouted: "Extra point for whoever hits the seagull."
The British number one – who sadly went on to lose the match – saw the funny side despite the interruption on centre court!
Britian’s Dan Evans has brought the energy to centre court and he achieved a superb three-set win over second seed Tommy Paul, of the USA. This really brought the crowd to life.
A shout-out as well to Billy Harris who, alongside Evans, were the last two Brits standing, as of Thursday morning.
Czechia’s Jakub Mensik – one of the most exciting talents in the game – was also still in the draw, at the time of writing.
Of course, as we’re on the coast after all, wind has been an issue this week.
Raducanu, 22, said: “I’m happy to be here. Eastbourne is nice. I love the centre court here. It’s a great atmosphere and a nice crowd.
“I did really well last year here, I got my first top ten win and that was big. But it is challenging with the wind, I must say.
“I’m just trying to get my head around that. Otherwise, it’s such a cute town.”
After her first match – a win over Ann Li, Raducanu added: “It was a physically demanding match. I think it was pretty difficult and in the wind, you're constantly trying to adjust.”
Fonseca was also asked about the conditions – which have made it particularly challenging to keep the ball under control.
The Brazilian teenager said: “It's difficult. Even if it's not coming from the same side, sometimes going from the left side, sometimes going from the right side, you never know.
"I had a set point, the first set, where his return was going a lot wide, and the wind just came with the ball in, so I lost this set point.
"So sometimes it's difficult, but it's from both sides, it's not always for you, so you need to manage your way to find a win. You need to adapt, you can't say no more wind.”
We asked tournament director Rebecca James for her verdict.
She said: "The last couple of days have been very windy and I think, in some instances, it makes for some points to be a bit more interesting to see which player can cope with the conditions better.
"The weather we can't control. As long as it stays dry, that's obviously the ultimate goal to get through all the matches we have this week. Ultimately, focus on what we can control, which is all the facilities we're providing for players around the site. We've got really complimentary comments on so far.”
Despite the wind – and some rain in places – it has been another tournament to remember at Eastbourne, and the final few days promise to be just as entertaining.
Rebecca James’ words sum the event up perfectly: “It continues to retain its unique charm and atmosphere here at Devonshire Park.”