By Ros Satar
- Heather Watson [Q] v Yulia Putintseva
- Katie Boulter v Ajla Tomljanovic [Q]
- Emma Raducanu [WC] v Cristina Bucsa [Q]
- Francesca Jones [WC] v McCartney Kessler
LONDON, ENGLAND – Heather Watson, Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu and Francesca Jones will aim to follow Sonay Kartal into the second round when they start their Queen’s Club campaigns.
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Heather Watson [Q] v Yulia Putintseva | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Heather Watson [Q] v Yulia Putintseva | H2H: Watson leads 3-2 |
| WTA Queen’s Club | UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: $15,020 |
| First on Court 1 at 12pm | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
Heather Watson comes into the time of year where she thrives the most, in front of a British crowd and on the grass. This is where the form book can get ripped out and thrown out of the window (responsibly, of course).
Watson has dropped down the rankings, and despite having won the last two encounters against the feisty Kazakh, she would reasonably be considered as the underdog against World No. 27 Yulia Putintseva.
2024 proved to be Putintseva’s most successful year on grass, but it has hardly been a surface that has been her friend over the year. After a decent enough start to her year, the wheels came off for Putintseva with only one win on hard courts after the Australian Open, but she came alive on the clay.
Watson does come in with qualifying wins, but we can expect a ‘Heather-coaster’ to kick off the day’s action, especially if the British crowd gets under Putintseva’s skin.
Prediction: Watson in three sets.
Katie Boulter v Ajla Tomljanovic [Q] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Katie Boulter v Ajla Tomljanovic [Q] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| WTA Queen’s Club | UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: $15,020 |
| First on Andy Murray Arena at 1pm | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
Katie Boulter has already delighted crowds at Queen’s with her doubles stint with Emma Raducanu, and getting the grass under her feet will come in handy against qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic.
Boulter had a good run on clay but will be looking for a big stint on the grass ahead of Wimbledon. The Aussie had the measure of Boulter three years ago in Nottingham – which became a signature tournament for Boulter in the following years.
Honours went to Boulter in their last meeting and with a home crowd behind her, she will feel confident of a win over the lower ranked Aussie.
Prediction: Boulter in three sets.
Emma Raducanu [WC] v Cristina Bucsa [Q] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Emma Raducanu [WC] v Cristina Bucsa [Q] | H2H: Bucsa leads 1-0 |
| WTA Queen’s Club | UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: $15,020 |
| Second on Andy Murray Arena, not before 2:30pm | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
The second half of ‘BoulterCanu’ takes to the court for the first time in singles – with a score to settle against qualifier Cristina Bucsa. She lost to her in Singapore earlier in the year but with previous coach Nick Cavaday back in her corner, together with Mark Petchey, Raducanu will feel confident of being able to redress the balance
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Bucsa has a couple of qualifying rounds under her belt but Raducanu’s form on grass has been stronger overall than the Spaniard, who has just come off a five-match losing streak.
Prediction: Raducanu in straight sets.
Francesca Jones [WC] v McCartney Kessler | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Francesca Jones [WC] v McCartney Kessler | H2H: Bucsa leads 1-0 |
| WTA Queen’s Club | UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: $15,020 |
| Third on Court 1, not before 2:15pm | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
Francesca Jones makes up the foursome in action today, having reverted to her favoured clay picking up a few titles along the way in Brazil and the Czech Republic. However, grass is not her best surface, picking up her first tour wins last year in Nottingham.
McCartney Kessler, by contrast, has yet to manage a main draw win on the surface, and with the British crowd on her side, Jones should prevail despite the gap in their rankings.
Prediction: Jones in three sets.
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