Draw WTA Rothesay Open Nottingham 2025: Haddad Maia and Boulter lead wide-open field, Kvitova and Maria set for blockbuster

The draw for the WTA 250 Rothesay Open Nottingham has been revealed, offering a new chance on grass courts for WTA stars. The tournament will feature 2022 champion Beatriz Haddad Maia as the top seed, alongside two-time defending champion Katie Boulter as the main local hope.

The tournament will take place from June 16 to 22, marking another week of the grass swing with Wimbledon in mind. Clara Tauson, Leylah Fernandez, Elise Mertens, and Tatjana Maria will be among the notable names vying for the title. Former champions are looking to make their mark.

While the Berlin Ladies Open is simultaneously unfolding – featuring virtually the entire top 20 – the WTA 250 Nottingham Open provides an opportunity for lower-ranked players to accumulate points and gain an advantageous position for the coming weeks. It's difficult to pinpoint clear favorites for the title, though former champions appear to have an edge in what is a very open draw.

The first seed will be Brazil's Haddad Maia (No. 21), with several interesting performances at Wimbledon and a couple of grass-court titles back in 2022, precisely when she leaped from outside the top 80 into the top 10 in just a few months. As the top favorite, she prepares for her debut against McCartney Kessler (No. 42), with whom she has only one previous encounter, which ended in an American victory.

Another player with high ambitions will be Katie Boulter (No. 39), who secured an 8th seed position and will face New Zealander Lulu Sun – a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2024. This is a tough challenge for the Brit, who could face Haddad Maia early in a potential quarterfinal clash.

The second seed will be Clara Tauson, who at 23 years old has had an ascending season, and when confident, can pose a problem for anyone. The Dane reached her first WTA 1000 final earlier this season – falling in Dubai to Mirra Andreeva – and arrives at the tournament with a new status. She will debut against Australian Kimberly Birrell and seems favored to advance several rounds, with a potential quarterfinal showdown against Magda Linette.

Another player who earned a seeded spot is Leylah Fernandez, who has consistently remained in the top 30 over the past year but arrives in urgent need of victories. She carries a four-match losing streak and has managed only three wins in her last 13 matches. The former US Open finalist needs to rack up victories if she wants to avoid dropping out of seeded positions heading into Wimbledon.

A couple of surprises unfolded in the first week of the grass swing. The biggest, without a doubt, was veteran Tatjana Maria, who won her first WTA 500 title at the Queen's Club Championships – breaking a nine-match losing streak. At 37, she quickly gained confidence on the surface, climbed to the top 45 after a couple of years, and will be a player to watch in the tournament. She drew an unfortunate match against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová. Although the Czech has not found great form since her return post-maternity, her ambitions are certainly higher on grass courts, where she has achieved her best results.

On the other hand, Belgian Elise Mertens secured an epic title at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, where she defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the final and lifted the 10th title of her career and her first on grass courts. Mertens showed all her fierceness in the tournament, saving an incredible 11 match points in the semifinals against Ekaterina Alexandrova, a former champion in 's-Hertogenbosch.