Heather Watson faces tough task to find form at Eastbourne
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.With the start of Wimbledon only seven days away, this week’s Aegon International at Eastbourne will offer players a last chance to get in some grass-court competition before taking to the Grand Slam stage.
The tournament traditionally attracts a strong women’s field and this year is no exception. Eight of the world’s top 15 women are in Sussex, with the field headed by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, and Li Na, the former French Open champion. Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki will be two of the other main attractions.
Tara Moore’s 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 defeat by the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova in the final round of qualifying yesterday leaves four British women in the 32-strong draw. Heather Watson faces the toughest task, against the American Varvara Lepchenko, the world No 28. Johanna Konta meets the world No 44, Hsieh Su-wei, while Laura Robson and Elena Baltacha both play qualifiers.
Canada’s Milos Raonic, who was given a wild card, and France’s Gilles Simon are the men’s top two seeds. Two Britons feature courtesy of wild cards. James Ward, Britain’s No 2, plays Australia’s Bernard Tomic while 18-year-old Kyle Edmund meets a qualifier.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments