Draw Birmingham Classic: Caroline Wozniacki to face Elise Mertens in first-round clash

Saturday, 15 June 2024 at 21:08

The 2024 edition of the Rothesay Birmingham Classic will begin in two days, and the draw has finally been made. The tournament starts on Monday the 17th of June and will finish on the 23rd of June.

The WTA 250 event will feature some top players competing to prepare for the upcoming third Grand Slam of the year. Wimbledon 2024 will begin from July 01st when players from all over the globe will battle to secure the ultimate prize.

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Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki will have a tough first-round clash against Belgium’s Elise Mertens. This will be the third meeting between the two players. In the previous two meetings, Wozniacki had a clear edge, as she came out on top on each occasion. It will be interesting to see how Wozniacki performs in the mega-event after not participating in the recently concluded French Open.

On the other hand, Mertens did take part in the Roland Garros, where she lost in the third round to world number four Elena Rybakina by a score of 6-4, 6-2. She also participated in the ongoing Libema Open, where she lost in the opening round to former world number one Naomi Osaka with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Defending champion Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko will start the competition against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The world number 13 won the title last year after beating Barbora Krejcikova in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-4. Ostapenko recently took part at the Roland Garros where she lost in the second round to Denmark’s Clara Tauson with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

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Britain’s Katie Boulter will face Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in the first round, whereas another British player, Heather Watson, will face Marie Bouzkova. Boulter is entering the contest after a disappointing outing in the French Open, where she lost in the first round. She made a good comeback in the ongoing Nottingham Open, where she is currently in the semifinals.

Her opponent Kalinina suffered a first-round exit from the French Open after losing to Camila Osorio. Canada’s young tennis star Leylah Fernandez will also have a tough opening-round fixture, as she will face Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain.

1 J.Ostapenko

E.Cocciaretto

Y.Yuan

WC S.Stephens

D.Shnaider

Qualifier

WC H.Watson

8 M.Bouzkova

4 K.Boulter

A.Kalinina

Y.Putintseva

C.Burel