An attractive matchup will happen on Center Court at the Aegon International in Eastbourne as two great players will face each other. Agnieszka Radwanska will take on Eugenie Bouchard for a spot in the quarterfinals. Both players are former Wimbledon finalist, and they played each other in a Grand Slam earlier in the year, but this time they will play on a surface that suits both players. Radwanska wants to get the title as last year she was denied by Bencic, as for Bouchard she wants to improve her form before Wimbledon.
Route to the third round
It’s been a great year for the Pole who reached semifinals at Australia and won a title in Shenzhen. However, her grass season hasn’t been what she would have expected. She opened her grass season at Birmingham, but Radwanska only got to play one match as she lost in the first round against Coco Vandeweghe. At Eastbourne, she received a bye into the second round where the top seed faced Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. It was a simple victory for the Pole who only needed less than an hour to take the match 6-4, 6-1 and set up an encounter with the 2014 Wimbledon finalist.
As for Bouchard, her grass season has been disappointing as well, she has played one tournament more than Radwanska. At s-Hertogenbosch, the Canadian suffered a very tough loss against qualifier Elise Mertens. Her next tournament was at Mallorca where she lost in the second round. At Eastbourne, Bouchard has played two matches and both lasted less than an hour. In the first round, she faced Varvara Lepchenko who she defeated 6-1, 6-1 playing in an impressive way. In the second round, Bouchard played Irina-Camelia Begu and again impressed with her performance after she defeated the Romanian 6-3, 6-1.
Past encounters
Bouchard and Radwanska have met on two occasions, both of them were won by the Pole. Their first encounter was in 2014 when Bouchard was at her prime, but that time was Radwanska who took the win at the Mutua Madrid Open in straight sets. Their last meeting happened in a Grand Slam at the Australian Open where the Pole was too strong for Bouchard and again defeated the Canadian in straight sets. This time, they will meet on grass, a surface that suits both of them because of their playing styles.
Match Analysis
There’s no doubt that this will be an interesting clash as both players have had great results on this surface. Radwanska reached the Wimbledon final in 2012 but lost to Serena Williams in three sets, whilst Bouchard made it to the final in 2014 but was defeated by Petra Kvitova in straight sets. The Pole is not an aggressive or powerful player, but she has been named as one of the best tactical players as she often pulls off difficult shots with ease.
As for Bouchard, she is an aggressive player but not powerful. Most of the times, the Canadian will aim for the lines and sometimes her groundstrokes will lack depth, but since she takes the ball early she often can dictate the points and change the direction of the ball. This is an action that usually helps the Canadian, but against Radwanska, it might not work as the Pole is one of the fastest players and she can anticipate the actions of her opponent.
Radwanska main weapon is her ability to hit different types of shots, she uses a mixture of lobs and slices which cause that her opponent doesn't find the rhythm. The Pole also possesses one of the best drop shots in the tour which suits this surface perfectly. If Bouchard wants to win she will need to go to the net to finish the rallies and attack Radwanska, she will also need to throw in some short balls and a few change-ups as that will take the Pole by surprise. The Canadian could also take advantage of Radwanska poor serve, especially her second one as is very slow and so easy to attack. The Canadian will need to take the initiative in the points, as both are players who don’t get too much depth in her shots, Bouchard can’t be afraid to get more into the court and attack.
Assessment
Overall, it will an interesting match as both players have different styles who suit in this surface. This will be Radwanska third match on grass while Bouchard will play her sixth match. This week the Canadian has impressed with her performances in both of her matches, but this will be the first hard task and Radwanska is not an easy opponent.
Prediction: Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets
