WTA Queen’s Club draw: What time will Serena Williams, Emma Raducanu, Alex Eala, play? Will it rain in London?
Serena Williams will make a comeback to tennis at the Queen’s Club Championship on Tuesday, Emma Raducanu kicks off her grass-court season while Alex Eala will look to continue her winning run.
Nearly four years after playing her last match, the 23-time Grand Slam winner will step foot onto court for a professional match again as she will team up with rising star Victoria Mboko in the doubles at the WTA 500 event.
The wildcard pair have been handed a tough opening assignment as they face third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in the first round in London.
But for Williams, winning is not important as she simply wants her daughters Olympia (eight) and Adira (two) to see her play tennis.
“I’ve had enough pressure. It’s really about my kids getting to see me play,” the former world No 1 said. “It’s also that being an athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place.
“Having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting.”
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She added: “I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives. That [winning] is not important to me and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that.
“I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose and everything here is just to gain.”
What Time Is The Match?
The eyes of the sporting world will be on the doubles encounter for the 44-year-old Williams’ big comeback and it is scheduled to start at 17:30 local time as it is the final match of the day on the Andy Murray Arena.
Emma Raducanu v Anna Blinkova
Following two back-to-back losses in Strasbourg and the French Open, Raducanu will be looking for home comforts in London when she takes on qualifier Blinkova in her opener.
It will be a first head-to-head meeting between the pair with Raducanu currently sitting at No 42 in the WTA Rankings while the Russian is down at No 105. The British player peaked at No 10 while Blinkova has a career high of No 34.
Raducanu’s 2021 US Open title remains her only trophy while her 27-year-old opponent has won two WTA Tour titles.
What Time Is The Match?
The Raducanu and Blinkova clash will be the first match of the day on the Andy Murray Arena with the encounter set to start at 12:00.
Raducanu will also play doubles alongside Katie Boulter, but their match against fourth seeds Storm Hunter and Zhang Shuai will take place on Court 1 and is scheduled for 15:30.
Alex Eala v Zhang Shuai
Fresh from winning her second WTA 125K title, Eala moves up a level for her first top-level WTA Tour match on grass this year as she takes on qualifier Zhang Shuai.
It will also be a first meeting the two with Eala – who is yet to win a WTA title – currently at No 33 in the rankings while her Zhang, who has won three titles, is at No 34.
What Time Is The Match?
The clash will take place on Court 1 and it is scheduled to get underway at 12:30.
Weather Predictions…
The start of play at Queen’s Club was delayed on Monday due to rain and the match between Leylah Fernandez and Katie Boulter was suspended and is set to be completed today.
According to the BBC, rain is expected throughout the day in London on Tuesday with light showers likely to fall between 12 and 3pm, and again at 5pm.
Temperatures will range between 12 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius from 11am until 8pm.
