Michael Venus Photo: photosport
New Zealand's Michael Venus and his British doubles partner Neal Skupski have won back-to-back men's titles on grass in the run up to Wimbledon.
Venus and Skupski, seeded fourth at the Eastbourne International in England, needed a tiebreaker to beat Australian third seeds John Peers and Matthew Ebden 4-6 7-6 11-9 in a tense final.
The result was another major boost for the pair, who also claimed victory at the Queens Club Championships in London a week earlier.
They will be seeded ninth at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, and have drawn Austrian pair Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler.
Venus has doubles pedigree at Grand Slam tournaments, having clinched victory with American Ryan Harrison at the 2017 French Open and then finished runner-up with South African Raven Klaasen at Wimbledon the following year.
Routliffe into final
Meanwhile, New Zealand doubles specialist Erin Routliffe has also struck a rich vein of form, having reached the women's doubles final at Eastbourne alongside regular partner Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada.
The top seeds dropped their first set at the tournament when beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa and Japan's Makoto Ninomiya 6-7 6-4 10-8.
New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada at the 2023 US Open. Photo: AFP
Their opponents in the final are Ukraine's Lyudmiya Kichenok and accomplished Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.
Routliffe and Dabrowski are ranked third and fourth respectively in the latest WTA doubles rankings and will be the second seeds at Wimbledon, where their first-up opponents are Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Anastasia Potapova.
Sun learns her fate
Lulu Sun faces a daunting first round opponent at Wimbledon, when she will become the first New Zealander in seven years to contest a Grand Slam singles match.
World No.123 Sun has drawn eighth Qinwen Zheng of China, the 21-year-old rated among the world's finest young players after reaching the final of this year's Australian Open.
Lulu Sun serves in her match against Varvara Gracheva of France during the 2024 Women's ASB Classic in Auckland. Photo: Photosport
Sun won her three qualifying matches this week to advance to the main draw, her achievement coming three months after the Te Anau-born player switched allegiance from Switzerland.
Swiatek draws Kenin
Wimbledon women's top seed Iga Swiatek was handed a tricky first-round test - drawn against American Sofia Kenin.
Czech reigning champion Marketa Vondrousova, seeded sixth and in the same quarter of the draw as Swiatek, will open against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Swiatek, whose five Grand Slam titles include four at the French Open, has not always found Wimbledon's lawns to her liking but the 23-year-old Pole will need to hit the ground running against Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
Iga Swiatek in action at Wimbledon Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Her potential semi-final opponent would be 2022 winner Elena Rybakina who plays Elena-Gabriela Ruse in round one.
Women's second seed Coco Gauff will play in an all-American first round tie against Caroline Dolehide while third seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who Gauff could face in the semi-finals, takes on American Emina Bektas.
Some other notable first-round draws in the women's singles include a clash of Grand Slam champions as Victoria Azarenka faces Sloane Stephens while British wildcard Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, is up against Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Alcaraz to face qualifier
Men's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, seeded three, will start against Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal and finds himself in the same half of the draw as top seed Jannik Sinner.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates beating Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final at Wimbledon. Photo: AFP
Italy's Sinner plays German Yannick Hanfmann.
Britain's two-time winner Andy Murray was in the draw despite doubts over whether or not he will be fit after requiring surgery on a spinal cyst last weekend.
Murray, who will almost certainly be playing his final Wimbledon having said he plans to retire after the Olympics, will play unseeded Czech Tomas Machac.
Seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, the second seed who also has injury worries, was drawn against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. Djokovic is seeded to play Germany's fourth seed Alex Zverev in the semi-final.
Zverev begins against Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.
Play begins at the year's third Grand Slam when Spain's Alcaraz will open proceedings on Centre Court.
- RNZ/Reuters