Eastbourne R2 previews and predictions: Bublik vs. Vukic, Ruusuvuori vs. Shang

Lucky loser Aleksandar Vukic and qualifier Jerry Shang will try to stay alive in Eastbourne and secure quarterfinal spots on Wednesday. Up next for them, respectively, in round two are Alexander Bublik and Emil Ruusuvuori.

(3) Alexander Bublik vs. (LL) Aleksandar Vukic

Bublik and Vukic will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Rothesay International on Wednesday. Vukic prevailed 7-6(5), 6-2 on the hard courts of Adelaide in 2022 before Bublik just recently rolled to a 6-4, 6-2 victory this spring on the red clay of Lyon.

A switch from clay to grass should produce better and more competitive tennis, as both players are much more comfortable on the lawn. Vukic lost in Eastbourne qualifying, but he got a lucky-loser spot in the main draw and made the most of it by beating Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round. Bublik, who earned a bye as the No. 3 seed, advanced no more than one round in each of his first two grass-court events (Stuttgart and Halle). The 23rd-ranked Kazakh is not in great form and his motivation at an ATP 250 one week before Wimbledon has to be questioned. An upset for Vukic would be no surprise.

Pick: Vukic in 3

Emil Ruusuvuori vs. (Q) Jerry Shang

It has already been a productive stay in Eastbourne for Shang, who had to qualify for a place in the main draw. The 19-year-old from China did exactly that with victories over Oscar Otte and Gilles Hussey before outlasting Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(4) on Monday. Shang has earned nine of his 13 ATP-level wins in 2024 and will be back in the top 100 next week even if he loses his next match.

Standing in the left-hander’s way of the quarterfinals is Ruusuvuori, who defeated Cameron Norrie 7-6(9), 6-3 on Tuesday. It was a much-needed result for the 88th-ranked Finn, who is a modest 13-10 this season and had been a horrendous 2-9 in his last 11 matches heading into Eastbourne. It’s also worth noting that Ruusuvuori is saddled with a losing record all time on grass (12-13), so this is a great opportunity for Shang to continue his run.

Pick: Shang in 3