Eastbourne R1 previews and predictions: Norrie vs. Ruusuvuori, Davidovich Fokina vs. Sonego

First-round competition in Eastbourne will conclude on Tuesday, when Cameron Norrie takes the court in front of the home crowd against Emil Ruusuvuori. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Lorenzo Sonego also headline the schedule.

Cameron Norrie vs. Emil Ruusuvuori

Norrie and Ruusuvuori will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Rothesay International on Tuesday afternoon. They split their first two meetings; Norrie prevailed 6-3, 7-6(4) on the indoor hard courts of Antwerp in 2020 before Ruusuvuori got the job done 7-6(1), 6-3 in the 2021 Atlanta quarterfinals.

Neither man has played well this season. Norrie’s record stands at 14-12 and he has slumped to No. 44 in the rankings, leaving him well outside the Wimbledon cut line. Ruusuvuori is 12-10, leaving him down at 88th in the world. The 25-year-old Finn is just 11-13 lifetime in grass. Norrie has home-court advantage and is a former Wimbledon semifinalist (2022), so in this setting and on this surface he should take care of business.

Pick: Norrie in 2

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(8) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Lorenzo Sonego

At No. 36 in the world, Davidovich Fokina just barely missed out on a seeded spot at Wimbledon. That is the price he pays for having compiled a disappointing 10-13 record so far this season. The 25-year-old Spaniard is 1-4 in his last five matches and a first-round loss at Queen’s Club to Alejandro Tabilo leaves him with the exact same lifetime record on grass as his overall 2024 record (10-13).

Up first for Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday is a second encounter with Sonego, who won the 2019 Genova Challenger final (on clay) in a third-set tiebreaker. Sonego is a horrendous 9-17 this year, but he advanced one round in Halle last week before losing to Alexander Zverev in two competitive sets. The 57th-ranked Italian owns more than twice as many grass-court victories in his career as Davidovich Fokina (21). Sonego’s big serve and forehand along with his flat backhand will likely pile on his opponent’s current woes.

Pick: Sonego in 3

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