On June 25th, local time, the WTA Eastbourne tournament continued, with Chinese player Wang Xinyu, fresh from winning the women’s doubles title at the previous WTA Berlin event, competing in the first round of the singles competition. Despite a battling performance, Wang lost to Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 2-6, preventing her from advancing to the second round and facing compatriot Yuan Ye.
Wang Xinyu
Wang had previously defeated Kasatkina at last year’s China Open with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-2. In their latest encounter, Wang started strongly, taking a 2-0 lead, but both players then engaged in a battle of breaks. In the ninth game, while leading 30-0, Wang slipped severely on the wet grass, and still recovering, she lost two consecutive games, conceding the first set 4-6. In the second set, Kasatkina adapted better to Wang’s pace, and the pressure of prolonged attacking led to more unforced errors from Wang. Kasatkina replicated last year’s score, 6-4, 6-2, for a “sweet revenge” victory.
In the women’s doubles event, the Chinese pair Wang Xiyu and Wang Yafan were eliminated by Hsieh Su-wei and Stephens, losing 3-6, 3-6. Today, Yuan Ye will face Kasatkina, while Jiang Xinyu and Guo Hanyu will compete against the top-seeded doubles team of Dabrowski and Lutolf.
