The grass-court season continues to gather pace in its second week, with two ATP 500 events and a pair of WTA tournaments taking center stage.
Halle and Queen’s Club headline the men’s action, while Berlin boasts a star-studded WTA 500 field and Nottingham hosts a wide-open WTA 250 draw. Here’s what to expect from each tournament.
Subscribe to our YT channel for regular tennis stories and previews here
Interested in cricket? Our favourite cricket YT channel here
Fresh off his French Open triumph, top seed Alexander Zverev begins his grass-court season at the ATP 500 event in Halle. The German faces a challenging route to the final. A two-time runner-up in 2016 and 2017 and a semifinalist in each of the last three editions, Zverev will be eager to finally lift the trophy on home soil.
However, his projected path is far from straightforward. He could face two-time Halle champion Alexander Bublik, the winner in 2023 and 2025, in the quarterfinals before a potential semifinal showdown with newly crowned Stuttgart champion Ben Shelton. Zverev opens his campaign against Vit Kopriva.
The bottom half features second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, both looking to rebound from disappointing runs in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Auger-Aliassime fell in the quarterfinals, while Medvedev was beaten in the semifinals by eventual champion Kamil Majchrzak.
Medvedev’s projected route includes Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round, followed by a possible meeting with Martin Landaluce and then Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, is projected to face Nuno Borges first up, with potential matches against Learner Tien and Flavio Cobolli before a possible semifinal clash with Medvedev.
Predicted Quarterfinals
• Zverev vs Bublik
• Shelton vs Fritz
• Medvedev vs Rublev
• Auger-Aliassime vs Cobolli
Predicted Semifinals
• Zverev vs Shelton
• Medvedev vs Auger-Aliassime
While Zverev enters as the top seed, the strength of his section makes his path particularly demanding. We are backing Shelton to come through the top half and set up a title clash with Medvedev. Our projected final is Shelton vs Medvedev.
At the ATP 500 event at Queen’s Club, top seed Alex de Minaur and second seed Jiri Lehecka headline the draw. However, one unseeded player could disrupt expectations: Kamil Majchrzak.
The Pole arrives in London in outstanding form after capturing the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title this week, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and De Minaur in three consecutive rounds. Given that run, Majchrzak will be a major threat to Lehecka when the pair meet in the first round. Interestingly, Majchrzak has won both of their previous meetings on the Challenger circuit.
Lehecka, meanwhile, is coming off a semifinal appearance in Stuttgart, where he failed to convert two match points in a thrilling three-set loss to Ben Shelton. This opening-round clash could go either way, though we give a slight edge to Lehecka. The winner could face Alejandro Tabilo in the second round, with Marin Cilic a potential quarterfinal opponent.
2024 Queen’s champion Tommy Paul is seeded eighth, but we are backing him to emerge from his section ahead of fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Paul is likely to face either Lehecka or Majchrzak in the semifinals.
In the top half, we expect De Minaur to reach the last four, where a rematch of his ‘s-Hertogenbosch semifinal against Adrian Mannarino could await. Mannarino’s proven grass-court pedigree gives him the edge in our projections over third seed Jakub Mensik.
Two other seeded players we believe could exit early are fifth seed Rafael Jodar, who has limited experience on grass and could fall to Brandon Nakashima in the second round, and seventh seed Francisco Cerundolo, who may be vulnerable to Alexander Blockx in the opening round.
Predicted Quarterfinals
• De Minaur vs Nakashima
• Mannarino vs Blockx
• Tommy Paul vs Rinky Hijikata
• Lehecka/Majchrzak vs Cilic
Predicted Semifinals
• De Minaur vs Mannarino
• Tommy Paul vs Lehecka/Majchrzak
We have been bringing you these weekly newsletters since the 2023 tennis season! It would mean a lot to us if you could help us continue in the same vein and grow. Here’s how you can help…
Book an advert that will be featured on TennisWorldLive.substack.com by emailing me at tennisworldlive.com@gmail.com
Consider buying me a coffee here!
Forward this to a tennis fan & invite them to subscribe by clicking on the button below.
The WTA 500 event in Berlin features a star-studded field as many of the tour’s biggest names begin their preparations for Wimbledon.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka returns to a tournament where her best result remains last year’s semifinal appearance. On that occasion, she was defeated by eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova. Sabalenka’s projected path this year includes a second-round meeting with Anastasia Potapova, a potential quarterfinal against Diana Shnaider, and a possible semifinal showdown with third seed and 2024 champion Jessica Pegula. Sabalenka owns a commanding 9-3 head-to-head advantage over Pegula, and we expect that dominance to continue should the two meet again in Berlin.
The bottom half is headlined by second seed Elena Rybakina, fourth seed Coco Gauff and fifth seed Elina Svitolina. However, an unseeded player who could shake up the draw is Donna Vekic.
Vekic arrives in Berlin full of confidence after a remarkable title run at Queen’s Club, where she entered the main draw as a lucky loser before lifting the trophy. The Croatian could face Rybakina in the second round, with the winner potentially taking on Svitolina in the quarterfinals and Gauff in the semifinals. While that is a challenging route, we are backing Rybakina’s powerful grass-court game to carry her through to the final.
Predicted Quarterfinals
• Sabalenka vs Shnaider
• Pegula vs Muchova
• Gauff vs Noskova
• Rybakina vs Svitolina
Predicted Semifinals
• Sabalenka vs Pegula
• Gauff vs Rybakina
With Sabalenka and Rybakina occupying opposite halves of the draw, a blockbuster championship match between the tournament’s top two seeds is a distinct possibility. At this stage, we are backing Sabalenka and Rybakina to reach the final.
With top seed Iva Jovic withdrawing from the tournament, second seed Leylah Fernandez becomes the highest-seeded player left in the draw. However, she faces a tricky opening-round assignment against qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, who reached the quarterfinals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week.
Fernandez is expected to come through that test before potential meetings with Viktorija Golubic in the second round and Anna Blinkova in the quarterfinals. Defending champion McCartney Kessler could then await in the semifinals.
In the top half, Queen’s Club runner-up Emma Raducanu opens against Karolina Pliskova. Expect that to be one of the most intriguing first-round matches of the tournament, with the winner well placed to make a deep run.
Standing in their way could be the unseeded Katie Boulter. The Briton is a two-time Nottingham champion and arrives in strong form after reaching the semifinals at Queen’s Club last week, where she defeated Elena Rybakina en route. Both recent form and tournament history suggest Boulter is capable of another deep run, and she could even go all the way to a third Nottingham title.
Predicted Quarterfinals
• Pliskova vs Sakkari
• Boulter vs Maria
• Kessler vs Navarro
• Fernandez vs Blinkova
Predicted Semifinals
• Pliskova vs Boulter
• Fernandez vs Kessler
Predicted Final
• Boulter vs Fernandez
With home support behind her and a proven record at this event, Boulter may have the edge over the field. We are backing the Briton to capture a third Nottingham title.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.