2015 WTA Aegon International | Premier | General Discussion Thread

Who will win the 2015 Aegon International Eastbourne?

  • Petra Kvitova

    Votes: 5 50.0%

  • Caroline Wozniacki

    Votes: 2 20.0%

  • Lucie Safarova

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Ekaterina Makarova

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Carla Suarez Navarro

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Angelique Kerber

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Eugenie Bouchard

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Karolina Pliskova

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 20.0%
  • Total voters
    10
Down_the_line

Down_the_line

G.O.A.T.
2015 Aegon International
June 21-27, 2015
Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club
Eastbourne, United Kingdom​

Level: Premier
Surface: Grass
Draw size: S-48, D-16
Defending champions: S-Madison Keys (USA), D- Hao-Ching Chan (TPE) / Yung-Jan Chan (TPE)

Seeds:

[1] Petra Kvitova (CZE) *withdrew*
[2] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
[3] Lucie Safarova (CZE)
[4] Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
[5] Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP)
[6] Angelique Kerber (GER)
[7] Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)
[8] Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
[9] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
[10] Andrea Petkovic (GER)
[11] Elina Svitolina (UKR)
[12] Madison Keys (USA)
[13] Sara Errani (ITA)
[14] Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
[15] Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
[16] Samantha Stosur (AUS)

Qualifying draw:
http://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/major-events/aegon-international/qualifying/2015/qs.pdf

Main draw - Singles:
http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2015/710/MDS.pdf

Main draw - Doubles:
http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2015/710/MDD.pdf
 
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Pretty damn good lineup. Of the top players it's only missing Serena, Sharapova, Halep and Ivanovic, the latter two having played this week in Birmingham instead.
 
Also important to note Laura Robson has been awarded a wildcard in qualifying and will play number 1 qualifying seed Daria Gavrilova
 
Marius_Hancu said:
Streaming of two courts already on today, e.g.

09:00 am EST Riske - Cornet (WTA Eastbourne)
Click to expand...

Seems a bit odd to not have a stream for center court though. I don't see one listed on drak stream anyway... Was looking to watch Bencic after enjoying the pancakes I just made :D

If anybody sees a link for center court stream please share it.
 
Qualifying is complete, plus several 1st round matches.

Qualifiers:

Marina Erakovic (NZL)
Christina McHale (USA)
Irina Falconi (USA)
Polona Hercog (SLO)
Lauren Davis (USA)
Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)
Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU)
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)

Day 1 - 1st round results:

Sloane Stephens def. Naomi Broady [WC] 3-6 6-3 7-6(4)
Casey Dellacqua def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 6-4
Alison Riske def. Alize Cornet 6-0 6-3
Belinda Bencic def. Mona Barthel 6-4 7-6(7)
Johanna Konta [WC] def. Zarina Diyas 6-3 6-2
CoCo Vandeweghe def. Johanna Larsson 6-7(3) 6-1 6-1
Caroline Garcia def. Roberta Vinci 6-2 6-2
 
No love for the returning champion in the poll? I pick Keys. I think she is capable of taking out anyone in her half. In the final, she would face (theoretically) Kvitova. I don't think Kvitty will want to burn to much energy the week before Wimbledon and will exit early. That would leave Pliskova, who just played a final today, and likewise might not be keen on expending too much before the main event. Which leaves Safarova, who could take it (but is a known choker). Last year Keys won this and then injured herself at Wimbledon (I believe from exhaustion), so if she was smart she would tank as well. I just don't think she'll be able to help herself. That bottom half will open up for her and she won't be able to resist. Once she's in the final, she won't be able to help going for it...that's who she is. That's my best guess anyway :)
 
More rain so play is suspended, but not before Cibulkova was just able to close out her match, beating wild card Harriet Dart 6-1 6-3.

Nevermind...
British Tennis ‏@BritishTennis 38s38 seconds ago
And it was just a short delay at #AegonInternational #Eastbourne as play gets back under way - live scores at http://goo.gl/LpavST
Click to expand...
 
Day 2 - 1st round results:

Camila Giorgi def. Christina McHale [Q] 6-2 6-3
Barbora Strycova def. Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4 6-2
Heather Watson def. Varvara Lepchenko 7-6(5) 6-2
Dominika Cibulkova def. Harriet Dart [WC] 6-1 6-3
Tsvetana Pironkova def. Marina Erakovic [Q] 6-2 6-2
Irina Falconi [Q] def. Alexandra Dulgheru [Q] 6-1 6-1
Polona Hercog [Q] def. Madison Brengle 7-5 6-4
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Magdalena Rybarikova [Q] 7-6(5) 6-4
Jarmila Gajdosova [Q] def. Lauren Davis [Q] 2-6 6-2 6-1
 
Giorgi is on a tear! I think she can make the Semifinals fairly easily. Also, Hercog is playing very well and will have a real shot against Muguruza.
 
With Kvitova out I think Kerber has a good shot at this. She's on a bit of a roll, having quietly won the last 3 Premier level tournaments (Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham).

Pliskova is also breaking out this year, having made a Premier 5 final (Dubai) and 2 Premier finals (Sydney and Birmingham). Ditto for Suarez Navarro, who has actually made a Premier Mandatory, Premier 5 and Premier final this year (Miami, Rome and Antwerp), except I don't know how much of a contender she is on grass.

Actually, come to think of it, this thing is pretty wide open. Wozniacki, Safarova and Makarova all have the ability to take this title. Then of course you have the defending champion, Keys, in the mix.
 
Last edited:
Makarova knocked out.
Plliskova up a set against Dellacqua but Casey is up 3-0. Dellacqua defeated Pliskova at the US open last year to reach the 4R but that was before Pliskova's major rise up the rankings. Nearly top 10!
 
Bencic takes first set against defending champ. Woooooo!

Had a nice point serving at 5-2 also. Keys blasted a forehand which Bencic half-volleyed kinda. Redirected it really well...Anyway, then tracks down a dropper and replies with a well angled shot of her own.
 
Surprisingly easy. 6-2 6-2 in under an hour.

Belinda did play pretty well. Solid + consistent and let Keys make the errors. She served really well which was also a key factor. Maybe 80% first serve percentage, but I'll double check that.
 
ScentOfDefeat said:
Wow, I did not expect this. Well done, Belinda.

Was Keys playing badly or was Bencic playing really well? Or both?
Click to expand...

Belinda played with a ton of confidence. Striking the ball very cleanly off both wings and serving well. Madison, OTOH, was over-hitting everything trying to blow Bencic off the court but the Swiss was like a backboard when Keys' shots weren't sailing long. Ultimately, Madison was mentally is a fog and was lost after the quick first set thumping.

The Bencic vs. Bouchard match should be interesting but I'd have to give the favor to the Swiss at the moment. She's been playing great tennis.
 
Bencic vs Bouchard is a win win for me. I'll be rooting for Bouchard of course but I would also like to see Bencic progress throughout the tournament.
 
If Bouchard beats Bencic we can say the WTA officially makes no sense. That there isn't a shred of predictability and that we might as well have cockroaches or headless chickens playing against each other.
 
This is interesting to me: in the Safarova vs. Cibulkova match they have an electronic scoreboard on one side and on the other side is a board that's updated by a kid placing numbers on the board. Don't know why it caught my attention but it did...
 
Devil_dog said:
Belinda played with a ton of confidence. Striking the ball very cleanly off both wings and serving well. Madison, OTOH, was over-hitting everything trying to blow Bencic off the court but the Swiss was like a backboard when Keys' shots weren't sailing long. Ultimately, Madison was mentally is a fog and was lost after the quick first set thumping.
Click to expand...
This is so typical of her. And maddening. Every time I think she is figuring things out she goes right back to this. Was she at least trying to make the right shots? Poor shot selection is often in this mix of madness. If it wasn't, then that's a positive sign at least. So much potential. I hope she's capable of harnessing it.
 
Devil_dog said:
This is interesting to me: in the Safarova vs. Cibulkova match they have an electronic scoreboard on one side and on the other side is a board that's updated by a kid placing numbers on the board. Don't know why it caught my attention but it did...
Click to expand...

Brits will be Brits. In the Parliament (the House of Commons, to be more specific) they still vote by physically counting the members of Parliament in different cubicles (one for the "ayes" and another for the "nos"). They have to leave the room and physically cross a threshold to be counted. I suspect there is also an electronic system, but they certainly don't relinquish the traditional modus operandi.
 
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#Bouchard got past the 2nd round? #Shocking. Watch her ranking precipitously drop after #Wimbledon which will finally put her at the ranking she deserves to be.

If you want to act like a top player, it's required you play like one.

#AngiesLyst​
 
Day 3 - 2nd round results:

Caroline Wozniacki [2] def. Jarmila Gajdosova [Q] 7-6(4) 6-2
Dominika Cibulkova def. Lucie Safarova [3] 7-6(7) 6-4
Johanna Konta [WC] def. Ekaterina Makarova [4] 6-2 6-4
Sloane Stephens def. Carla Suarez Navarro [5] 6-1 7-5
Eugenie Bouchard [7] def. Alison Riske 7-6(5) 6-3
Karolina Pliskova [8] def. Casey Dellacqua 6-4 7-5
Agnieszka Radwanska [9] def. Irina Falconi [Q] 6-0 6-2
Andrea Petkovic [10] def. Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-4
Heather Watson def. Elina Svitolina [11] 3-6 7-5 6-4
Belinda Bencic def. Madison Keys [12] 6-2 6-2
Sara Errani [13] def. Barbora Strycova 6-2 6-7(1) 7-6(7)
Garbine Muguruza [14] def. Polona Hercog [Q] 5-7 6-3 6-0
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Flavia Pennetta [15] 6-3 6-4
Tsvetana Pironkova def. Samantha Stosur [16] 7-5 7-6(0)
Daria Gavrilova [LL] def. Camila Giorgi 3-6 7-6(6) 6-3
CoCo Vandeweghe def. Monica Niculescu [LL] 7-5 2-6 6-1


With Kvitova and Kerber withdrawing, and some of the top seeds bowing out, the draw is definitely wide open. I could see Radwanska scooping up this title with a lighter draw. Ditto for Wozniacki. Pliskova might finally break through after several finals and take it too.
 
ScentOfDefeat said:
Disappointed in Lucie. Losing to Cibulkova on grass isn't what you'd expect from the "new" Safarova.
Click to expand...

Why would anybody be shocked. Safarova has played a lot of tennis and has gone deep at most of the major events. Most of these top players don't care about these lesser events right before a slam(look at all of the withdrawals and "injuries" that crop up.) You will still have the same favorites for the slams regardless of what happens in most of these warm-up events. Warm-up events are mostly glorified practice sessions for the very best players. And I am not talking about events like Indian Wells or Miami, I am talking about Mickey Mouse events like Birmingham, etc.
 
Quarterfinals are set:

Daria Gavrilova[LL]
vs.
Sloane Stephens

Tsvetana Pironkova
vs.
Agnieszka Radwanska[9]

Belinda Bencic
vs.
Johanna Konta[WC]

Andrea Petkovic[10]
vs.
Caroline Wozniacki[2]
 
cc0509 said:
Why would anybody be shocked. Safarova has played a lot of tennis and has gone deep at most of the major events. Most of these top players don't care about these lesser events right before a slam(look at all of the withdrawals and "injuries" that crop up.) You will still have the same favorites for the slams regardless of what happens in most of these warm-up events. Warm-up events are mostly glorified practice sessions for the very best players. And I am not talking about events like Indian Wells or Miami, I am talking about Mickey Mouse events like Birmingham, etc.
Click to expand...

I said I was disappointed, not shocked. And I think she does care about these events because she rarely wins a big title anyway. There's a top 10, but only about two or three players win anything worth mentioning. Only Serena and a couple of other players would treat these tournaments merely as warm-up events (and they're not even playing them for the most part). The rest of the tour do battle in these tournaments, as they're the only ones where they can collect silverware and make a name for themselves.

Also: it's logical to withdraw due to injury or threat of injury before a Slam. But that's just because of how important a Slam is and how much they want to be part of it, not because they wouldn't love to win Eastbourne or any other tournament of that kind.
 
Good to see Pironkova having her one good tournament of the year...
But genuinely happy Gavrilova is taking advantage of her lucky loser status. Big threat to top players and will be a great future player!
 
Aga through easily, 2 & 2.


Konta won the first over Bencic @ 2, but it's 3-0 Belinda in the 2nd now.
 
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