Keothavong to face Bammer
Austrian up first in Eastbourne…
Anne Keothavong now knows the identity of her first round opponent in Eastbourne.
The 25-year-old Londoner will go up against Austrian world No.28 Sybille Bammer in the first round of the $600,000 AEGON International, which begins on Monday June 15.
The draw for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier grass court tournament was made on Saturday and Keothavong will be pleased to have avoided one of the big-name seeds.
The Briton has never played 29-year-old Bammer before. The left-hander from Linz enjoyed a decent run to the last eight in Indian Wells in March but since then has struggled with her form.
Bammer lost in the first round in Miami, Madrid and Strasbourg and the second round in Rome and at Roland Garros. Nevertheless, Keothavong won’t be underestimating her opponent.
“I’ve never played Sybille before but I know she’ll be an awkward opponent,” Keothavong said.
“She’s very experienced and has done well here in Eastbourne in the past. I’ll have to stay very focused and I hope to put in a better performance than last week in Birmingham.
“The field here in Eastbourne this year is probably the strongest it has ever been for a long time so every match is tough.”
Elena Dementieva, French Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, Vera Zvonareva and Ana Ivanovic are all in attendance on the south coast.
The 32-player draw also features Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki, two of the hottest prospects on the women’s tour.
Among the more interesting first round contests are top seed Dementieva against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, while Jankovic must get past another dangerous Russian, Anna Chakvetadze.
Zvonareva goes up against former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo, while surprise French Open semi-finalist Sam Stosur plays talented young German Sabine Lisicki. Another former world No.1, Ivanovic, is unseeded and will go up against seventh seed Nadia Petrova.
Keothavong is also playing doubles in Eastbourne with fellow Brit Sarah Borwell. They begin their campaign on Monday against Polish pair Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska.
For the full singles draw visit the official website.