2011 AEGON International

Devonshire Park, Eastbourne, England
11-18 June

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Daily Headlines from Devonshire Park

Battler Bartoli takes Eastbourne title Saturday
An interview with: Daniels Hantuchova Saturday


Kvitova kills off injured Hantuchova Saturday EXCLUSIVE
Petra Kvitova bounced back from a stuttering start to overcome in-form Daniela Hantuchova 7-6 4-2 when the Slovak star (above) retired with a left abdominal injury.

Bartoi blasts past stuttering Stosur Saturday
Semi-final Previews Friday
Play abandoned at EB, Saturday start 10.30am Friday
Historic Hantuchova ends Venus return Thursday
Serena shocked by Zvonareva Wednesday

Williams' sisters return to court | Venus and Serena Williams are back! We followed them on to the practice courts as they began preparations on Eastbourne's grass courts.

18 June 2011

What to expect at Eastbourne

World no8 Petra Kvitova faces Slovak ace Daniela Hantuchova in the first semi-final showdown. 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalist Kvitova, the highest ranked player left, has impressed on her Devonshire Park debut and the Czech star possesses natural grass skills despite having never won a match on the surface prior to last year's heroics at SW19.

The 21-year-old left-hander has a battle on her hands against world no25 Hantuchova, who is a rejuvenated player on her seventh visit to Eastbourne. The 2004 Devonshire Park runner-up has registered impressive wins over French Open champion Li Na and American superstar Venus Williams to reach back-to-back singles semi-finals on the WTA Tour for the first time in four seasons.

Eastbourne regulars Sam Stosur and Marion Bartoli will battle it out for a place in the final for the first time on, and have high top form this season. World no10 Stosur stormed into her third semi-final this season, and saw off top seed Vera Zvonareva in the quarter-finals. Unorthodox Bartoli is in her fifth successive semi-final at Devonshire Park, having bowed out graciously in the past four encounters. The French ace plays two-handed on both sides and arrived at Devonshire Park on a career-high ranking of world no9 following her heroics at Roland Garros.

2011 pre-tournament news

Devonshire Park, Eastbourne, England | 11-18 June

Serena and Venus Williams@EB Draw's double trouble | Serena and Venus Williams (pictured) are dangerously unseeded in a top-quality draw of 32 that has attracted most of the world's top players. Wildcard Serena makes her competitive comeback since being crowned 2010 Wimbledon Championship and faces Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in the opening round, and if victorious plays the winner of top see Vera Zvonareva and British wildcard Heather Watson. Serena could face Sam Stosur or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals and probably Victoria Azarenka or Marion Bartoli in the last four. Venus last played in January's Australian Open and will play no8 seed Andrea Petkovic in the first round, the same player that she retired against at Melbourne. Venus said: "We're not here for results, but we are going to do our best to take home titles. I'm very excited to be back, I love playing - it's my job." If Venus gets past Petkovic she will face either Julia Goerges or Ana Ivanovic, with Li Na or Daniela Hantuchova potentially lying in wait at the quarter-final stage.

| other news

2011 French Open coverage

French Open winners

French Open champs set for Eastbourne | China's Li Na, crowned as Asia's first ever Grand Slam singles champion at Roland Garros, is likely to skip Birmingham and concentrate on warming up for Wimbledon by competing at Eastbourne's Devonshire Park. The classic French Open never materialised as powerhouse Li staved off a set point to beat defending French Open winner Francesca Schiavone, an Eastbourne regular, 6-4 7-6. Li is set to move up to world no4 and is the probable top seed for the 2011 AEGON International.

I know I can play well on grass, but you still have to do a job out there on the surface

- Michael Llodra