Jelena Ostapenko, the fifth seed and 2021 champion, kicked off her Eastbourne title defense with a gritty 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 victory over Greet Minnen. The Latvian battled through a brief scare after falling on the grass in the second set, ultimately securing the win in just under 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, a major shakeup occurred as top seed Elena Rybakina withdrew from the tournament due to a schedule change. This opened the door for Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, to advance as a lucky loser.
In other exciting action, British wildcard Harriet Dart thrilled the home crowd with a dramatic three-and-a-half-hour victory over former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Marie Bouzkova. Dart triumphed 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 6-4 in a marathon encounter.
The parallel men’s ATP Tour event saw Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng make history with his first senior grass-court win. He defeated seventh-seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a closely contested match.
Marcos Giron of the United States also celebrated a win, overcoming defending champion Francisco Cerundolo in two tie-break sets. Giron emerged victorious 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4).
Ostapenko, who once won nine straight matches at Eastbourne, expressed her comfort on the grass surface, stating: “I think the surface suits me really well. The first time I played on grass, I was like, ‘how can we play tennis on this surface? I don’t understand what’s happening here’. But then every year was better and better.”
