eastbournetennis.com

Fitness fanatic Sharar Peer, unable to string together back-to-back WTA Tour victories, returned from her brother's wedding in Israel slow out of the traps and was easily defeated by Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez. The Israeli no1 (left), who made an unexpected early French Open exit, had no answer to the range of strokes from the solid Spaniard, and the contest was soon wrapped up 7-5 6-3 in a less than entertaining tie. 

Gutsy Australian Sam Stosur (left) was in formidable form as she wiped the floor with Eastbourne regular Nadia Petrova 6-1 6-4. The no7 seed, a real contender for the Eastbourne title, left the Russian for dead in a lop-sided opening set and appeared to be heading for a comfortable win before some delaying tactics by the veteran stopped the Queenslander's rhythm, so Petrova took control at the net and exploited her opponent's weak backhand at every opportunity.

No5 seed Petra Kvitova (left) made an uncharacteristic slow start before demolishing Lativian ace Anastasia Sevastova in three sets. The Czech ace, very capable of being crowned champion on a surface that suits her game, failed to adapt to the cloudy and blustery conditions and allowed Sevastova to attack at every opportunity. Kvitova, keen to impress ahead of Wimbledon, bounced back to run riot and collect a deserved 5-7 6-1 6-3 victory to march into the second round. 

Former Eastbourne champion Agnieszka Rawanska bounced back from a slow start to register a 7-6 7-5 success over impressive Australian Jarmila Gajdosova. The slippery Pole (left), who was crowned Devonshire Park queen in 2008, is one of the most dangerous unseeded floaters and could face a potential second round tie against 2011 French Open runner-up Francesca Schiavone, who has yet to impress on grass.

Veteran Martina Navratilova, unable to play Legends Exhibition Singles at Eastbourne due to rain all day on Sunday, has predicted that 2011 French Open champion Li Na could be the player to watch at The Championships. The legendary ace said: "If Li Na can cope with all of the attention that I'm sure she's getting now she's got a good shot at winning Wimbledon, and she does well on grass. She won Birmingham last year and her game transfers well on every surface." Click for more