Top seed Naomi Osaka faces a tough opener to her grass court season after being drawn to play World No.33 Maria Sakkari in the first round of the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, an LTA summer grass court event.
This year’s impressive line-up in Birmingham has pitted a number of top players against each other as they open their campaigns for the famous Maud Watson Trophy. British No.1 Johanna Konta (Eastbourne), fresh from her run to the Roland Garros semi-finals on clay, will be up against talented Estonian Anett Kontaveit in what will be the Briton’s first match on grass this year.
Roland Garros champion Ashleigh Barty must contend with 2013 Nature Valley Classic finalist Donna Vekic in the first round. Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, playing in Birmingham for the first time in her long and illustrious career, takes on Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
GB Fed Cup team-mates Harriet Dart (London) and Heather Watson (Guernsey) have been given wildcards into the 32-player singles draw. Dart has been drawn against Yulia Putintseva, while Watson will face a difficult task against experienced Czech and former Nature Valley Classic runner-up Barbora Strycova.
A full singles draw is attached.
NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC – BIRMINGHAM – BIRMINGHAM, GBR
$1,006,263
June 17 – 23, 2019
Women’s Singles – First Round
[1] N. Osaka (JPN) vs. M. Sakkari (GRE)
[WC] H. Dart (GBR) vs. Y. Putintseva (KAZ)
K. Mladenovic (FRA) vs. E. Rodina (RUS)
D. Yastremska (UKR) vs. [8] J. Goerges (GER)
[4] E. Svitolina (UKR) vs. M. Gasparyan (RUS)
E. Alexandrova (RUS) vs. P. Martic (CRO)
J. Ostapenko (LAT) vs. Qualifier
A. Kontaveit (EST) vs. [7] J. Konta (GBR)
[5] A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs. S. Hsieh (TPE)
[WC] H. Watson (GBR) vs. B. Strycova (CZE)
Qualifier vs. Qualifier
M. Buzarnescu (ROU) vs. [3] [WC] Ka. Pliskova (CZE)
[6] Q. Wang (CHN) vs. Qualifier
[WC] V. Williams (USA) vs. A. Sasnovich (BLR)
J. Brady (USA) vs. L. Tsurenko (UKR)
D. Vekic (CRO) vs. [2] A. Barty (AUS)
Singles draw: click here