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The first round will conclude on Day 2 (June 17) of the Nottingham Open 2025. All four seeded players in action on the first day made it through to the second round. Second seed Clara Tauson and fourth seed Yulia Putintseva beat their respective opponents in straight sets.
Fifth seed Leylah Fernandez and seventh seed Linda Noskova were pushed to three sets but managed to prevail in the end. One of the tournament's most anticipated first-round matches didn't materialize. Petra Kvitova was due to take on Queen's Club champion Tatjana Maria.
However, both of them withdrew from the tournament. Nevertheless, there are plenty of big names left in the draw, with some of them in action on Tuesday. On that note, here are the predictions for a few of the women's singles matches lined up on Day 2 of the Nottingham Open:
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#1. Katie Boulter vs Lulu Sun
Boulter got her grass swing underway at last week's HSBC Championships at Queen's Club. She beat Ajla Tomljanovic in her opener before losing to Diana Shnaider in three sets in the next round. She's the two-time defending champion at the Nottingham Open.
Sun had her breakthrough moment at last year's Wimbledon. She made it to the quarterfinals as a qualifier, eventually losing to Donna Vekic. She hasn't backed up her Wimbledon run with equally strong results consistently.
Sun's first tournament of this year's grass swing was the Libema Open, where she lost to Bianca Andreescu in the second round. Her record for the season currently stands at 6-14, while Boulter has an 8-9 record. Neither has put their best foot forward this year. However, the Brit's tendency to do well on grass could help her begin her title defense with a win.
Predicted winner: Katie Boulter
#2. Beatriz Haddad Maia vs McCartney Kessler
Haddad Maia's results have taken a hit this year. She was on a nine-match losing skid at one point and has a 7-17 record for the season. She competed at Queen's Club last week and lost to Emma Navarro in the second round despite having a match point.
Kessler also commenced her grass swing at Queen's Club. She beat Francesa Jones before losing to Zheng Qinwen in the second round. Her win over Jones marked her first main draw win on grass. She has a 16-12 record at the main draw level this year.
While Kessler has posted better results compared to Haddad Maia this year, the latter has tasted more success on grass in the past. She won the Nottingham Open in 2022 and followed it up with another title on grass the following week in Birmingham.
However, it's tough to overlook Haddad Maia's slump. She also lost her only prior match against Kessler in the final of the Cleveland Open 2024. Despite the American's relative inexperience on grass, she will be favored to win this match based on their overall results this year.
Predicted winner: McCartney Kessler
#3. Katie Volynets vs Xu Mingge
Volynets has a 7-13 record at the main draw level this year. The Nottingham Open will be her first tournament on grass this year. She scored her first main draw on grass at last year's Wimbledon by beating Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round. She was sent packing by eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova in the second round.
17-year-old Xu received a wildcard into the Nottingham Open. She competed in a couple of Challenger tournaments on grass in recent weeks. She made the last eight in Birmingham with a win over No. 52 Alycia Parks and reached the second round in Ilkley.
This will be Xu's debut on the WTA Tour. Despite the wide gulf in experience between her and Volynets, the teenager will be keen to give a good account of herself. She already beat a player ranked higher than the American a couple of weeks ago.
Volynets hasn't impressed anyone with her results on grass so far, giving Xu a fighting chance in this match-up. Nevertheless, the American will be the favorite to win against someone ranked more than 250 places below her.
Predicted winner: Katie Volynets
#4. Magda Linette vs Alexandra Eala
Eala shot to fame with her wins over Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open earlier this year. She came through the qualifying rounds of the Nottingham Open with three-set wins over Varvara Gracheva and Anca Todoni.
Linette began her time on grass on a losing note, going down to Bernarda Pera in a tough three-set battle at last week's Libema Open. Quarterfinal appearances in Strasbourg, Miami, and Abu Dhabi are her best results this year.
Linette has achieved modest success on grass and has a 15-24 career record on the surface. She has reached the third round at Wimbledon on three occasions. Eala is a complete rookie on the surface. She has contested only seven matches on grass, including qualifying rounds. She's still looking for her first main draw win. As such, Linette will be the favorite to win given her younger rival's limited exposure to grass.
Predicted winner: Magda Linette
