Preview WTA Eastbourne Open 2025: Krejcikova, Kasatkina and Raducanu build form for Wimbledon

The WTA 250 Eastbourne Open will be held from Monday, June 23rd to Saturday, June 28th, serving as the final preparatory event for Wimbledon, which begins in just one week. This new grass-court tournament will set the tone for what's to come at the third Grand Slam of the year.

The top seed by ranking is Daria Kasatkina, who won't have an easy path in a draw that includes defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, and several former Grand Slam champions, including Emma Raducanu, Jelena Ostapenko, and Sofia Kenin.

Kasatkina arrives needing wins after defeats in both of her grass-court matches this season at Queen's Club and Berlin. The Australian fell in the opening round in four of her last five tournaments, with the only exception being the French Open, where she reached the fourth round. 'Dasha' will debut against New Zealander Lulu Sun—a more than complicated opponent, considering Sun reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon a year ago.

Also in Kasatkina's quarter is Emma Raducanu (7th seed), who debuts against Ann Li. The Brit had a good showing at Queen's Club, reaching the quarterfinals, before an injury forced her to withdraw from Berlin just before the tournament began. This will be a good chance to assess her physical condition, and she will debut against Ann Li, with a potential second-round clash against three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur looming.

The second quarter appears less populated with heavy-hitting names, and Sofia Kenin (4th) will carry the most responsibility this week. In Berlin, she managed to get through qualifying but fell in the first round, so she'll certainly be looking to build confidence before Wimbledon. She debuts against Kimberly Birrell and could face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.

The bottom half of the draw is led by the 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who hasn't been very consistent this season due to injuries. She returned to the grass courts with a loss at Queen's Club against Srmakova and will now be looking to build some confidence before Wimbledon. Her first opponent will be local player Harriet Dart, someone who is very comfortable on grass courts.

A potential rematch with Srmakova in the third round looms in Krejcikova's path. Additionally, also in the bottom half of the draw, an interesting first-round match-up appears between Jelena Ostapenko and Sonay Kartal.