ATP Eastbourne: Preview and Predictions

Andy Roddick

This is the fourth year that Eastbourne hosts an ATP tournament and there has definitely been an improvement in the players they have managed to attract with all top eight seeds residing in the top 40.  They have also benefited from Andy Roddick accepting a wildcard into the event who will play in the highlight of the first round matches.  Lets take a look at the draw...

Richard Gasquet is the top seed and makes his debut in Eastbourne.  He (along with the other top three seeds) has a bye in the first round and will then play James Ward or Marinko Matosevic in the second round.  His projected quarter-final opponent is Pablo Andujar who has a tricky first round match with the Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis.  Baghdatis looked lacklustre at Queens, but I fancy him to spring a mini-upset against Andujar.

The second quarter features Andy Roddick and Bernard Tomic.  Roddick was defeated by Edouard Roger-Vasselin at Queens and was hoping for some match practice in Eastbourne; however he has been handed the toughest of the first round matches as he will take on fellow American, Sam Querrey.  Querrey made the semi-finals at Queens and has been steadily improving his form during 2012 following numerous injuries.  I think he will beat Roddick and progress to a quarter-final with Tomic who was forced to retire from Halle due to illness.

Michael Llodra

The reigning champion. Andreas Seppi is seeded to meet Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third quarter-final.  Both played in Halle with varying results; Seppi lost his first match in an epic three-setter to Radek Stepanek, meanwhile Kohlschreiber made the semi-finals after beating Rafael Nadal in the quarters.  Kohlschreiber takes on Go Soeda in the first round and will be a tricky customer on the grass within this draw.  Also of note, the Brit wildcard Jamie Baker takes on the wildly fluctuating, Donald Young with the winner like to take on Kohlschreiber in the second round.

The bottom half is dominated by two Frenchmen in Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra.  The former champion, Llodra plays Denis Istomin in the first round and could then meet the number two seed, Marcel Granollers.  Benneteau takes on Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round, who beat Janko Tipsarevic on his way to the quarter-finals of Queens last week.  The young and talented American, Ryan Harrison should meet Benneteau in the second round assuming he can pass a qualifier in the first round.  I fancy the two Frenchmen to rule in this section...

Final Prediction: Julien Benneteau d. Sam Querrey

You can view my full predictions for Eastbourne HERE