Main-draw action in Eastbourne gets underway on Monday, and the local crowd will be treated to a rare appearance by Jack Draper. In addition to Draper vs. Brandon Nakashima, the order of play is also headlined by Jaume Munar vs. Zizou Bergs.
(5) Brandon Nakashima vs. Jack Draper
Draper will be taking the match court for the first time in more than two months when he battles Nakashima in round one of the Eastbourne Open on Monday. The British left-hander has most recently dealt with a knee injury that forced him to retire from his opening match on the red clay of Barcelona in mid-April.
The difficulty of an opening test against Nakashima is to be determined. On paper it is a rough draw for Draper, as Nakashima is coming off a semifinal showing at Queen’s Club (lost to eventual champion Francisco Cerundolo in a tight three-setter). The 31st-ranked American is extremely comfortable on grass and has been winning plenty of matches, so that kind of confidence should make the difference against a very rusty opponent — unless fatigue on the heels of a long week becomes an issue.
Pick: Nakashima in 3
Zizou Bergs vs. (7) Jaume Munar
Munar and Bergs will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Monday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2025 Australian Open, where Munar cruised 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
A change in surface should help turn the tide for Bergs, who is 23-15 lifetime on grass. Munar, on the other hand, is a horrendous 6-17 on the green stuff. In general, the 44th-ranked Spaniard is not playing anywhere near as well as he did last year. He is a disappointing 9-12 overall this season despite playing on more favorable clay and hard-court surfaces. Bergs pushed eventual runner-up Taylor Fritz in a tight three-setter last week in Halle, so he should be poised to get off to a nice start in Eastbourne.
Pick: Bergs in 3