Event of the Day: The Queen’s Club Championships Day 1
Our event of the day is Day 1 of the preamble to Wimbledon as the Queen’s Club Championships get underway at the famous Queen’s Club in Kensington, London. There will be plenty of talent on show over the coming week so expect a thrilling opening day of action as the grass season gets underway. In one of the picks of the first round, reigning Queen’s champ Marin Čilić takes on the Chilean Cristian Garin. Last year’s win was the Croat’s second success at Queen’s Club having also lifted the title in 2012, and he will be one of the favourites to repeat the feat this time round with the absence of the current world top five players from the draw. However, Čilić will have to improve upon recent performances if he is to rule superior in west London once more. He has failed to reach a final since his win on this turf over Novak Djokovic last year which has seen Čilić slip down to 15th in the world rankings.
There is another intriguing first round clash to watch out for as the home crowd favourite Cameron Norrie entertains Kevin Anderson. Though the Queen’s crowd will be firmly behind the Brit, they will also be eagerly anticipating a high-level contest as Anderson goes into the competition as the second highest ranked player in the men’s draw. The tall 6ft 8in South African Anderson will enjoy being back on the grass courts after he made the Wimbledon final last year. He was also a finalist at Queen’s in 2015. With the competition employing a best of three set format, expect fast-paced and electrifying contests right from the opening day!
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Cricket World Cup where Bangladesh do battle with the West Indies at the County Ground in Taunton in the 23rd match of the tournament. The two nations have struggled to find any sort of momentum in the opening games of the competition and both will go in search of just their second win of this World Cup in Taunton today. There are also four matches in the Women’s World Cup to watch out for as the final round of group stage games gets underway as France entertain Nigeria and China face Spain, in the pick of the games. Sticking with football, the Copa America continues today as Chile go up against Japan in Sāo Paolo. Elsewhere, there is plenty of action in the MLB to sink your teeth into today, with the showpiece contest concerning the New York Mets’ visit to Atlanta to take on the Braves at SunTrust Park. Finally, back in the world of tennis, Day 1 of the Nature Valley Classic gets underway today in Edgbaston where home favourite Johanna Konta will take to the court with Anett Kontaveit of Estonia.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Queens Tennis