Aegon International Eastbourne, Great Britain
[CR21] Madison Keys (USA) vs. [CR31] Belinda Bencic (SUI)
Well it was not the exciting match that I anticipated. Keys never found her range. The American is in a bit of a slump and considering the power she possesses on serve and off the ground, it’s a tad troubling. Grass should fit her game well. Yet, she seemed unwilling to make the adjustments necessary when things went awry. Perhaps with time, she will mature and understand that power is not the only route to victory. Bencic may have lost their first encounter rather easily; however, she appears to have figured out what she did wrong and made the necessary adjustments. The result, a fairly routine 62, 62 defeat of Keys. In defeating Keys, Bencic got revenge for her loss earlier this year and also denied Keys the opportunity of defending her Eastbourne title.
[CR12] Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) vs. [CR42] Alison Riske (USA)
Bouchard squeaked out an important win against Riske. Perhaps this was a critical turning point for her. She fought back and came away with the 76(5), 63 victory. Although it was not her best performance, there were positive signs for Bouchard who needs to build some momentum going into Wimbledon. She will have to defend ranking points at Wimbledon if she does not want to see a farther decline in her ranking. Next up for Bouchard is Belinda Bencic. Can Bencic continue her brilliant play and upset Bouchard? It would be their first time playing each other.
[CR13] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. [CR73] Irina Falconi (USA)
Radwanska barely broke a sweat today as she easily defeated Falconi 60, 62. Falconi has shown some amazing fight back ability; however, today she was no match for Radwanska. Before she had any time to catch her breath, the match was over. It was a good victory for Radwanska, who also has been struggling to find her form. Perhaps the grass will rejuvenate her game. She recently made it to the semi-finals of the Aegon Open Nottingham. She lost the match to Monica Niculescu after winning the first set and compounded the loss by losing the third 60. Will she use this victory as a positive in her rebuilding process?
