Eastbourne draw: Paolini, Muchova return; Stephens draws Raducanu

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Sloane Stephens and Emma Raducanu, 2022 Australian Open (Getty)

BRANDON MALONE/AFP via Getty Images

A first-round match between former US Open champions Sloane Stephens and Emma Raducanu

is a highlight of early action at the Rothesay International Eastbourne.

The full draw for the third and final WTA 500 event of the grass-court season was made on Saturday, and the second career meeting between the two major champions isn't the only highlight. Three Top 10 players will compete at Devonshire Park, as Elena Rybakina

and are seeded No.1 and No.2, and Roland Garros finalist is seeded third. Defending champion is seeded fourth.

Raducanu, a wild card in Eastbourne, beat Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in their only previous meeting, in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open, and the winner of the first round will face Pegula in the second round. Rybakina, meanwhile, will hope to bounce back after abdominal issues forced her to retire in the quarterfinals of the ecotrans Ladies Open this week. She'll face the winner of the first round between wild card Harriet Dart

and first up.

Main draw at Eastbourne (WTA 500), where Elena Rybakina

View Profile , Jessica Pegula

View Profile , Jasmine Paolini

View Profile and Madison Keys

View Profile are the top seeds.

Emma Raducanu

View Profile will face Sloane Stephens in 1R. pic.twitter.com/JAitWVSXjN
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 22, 2024

Eastbourne is also seeing two returns to competition, of different kinds. Paolini is competing for the first time since reaching the singles and doubles finals at Roland Garros, and last year's Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova

will make her season debut after wrist surgery.

After a first-round bye, Paolini will face either Elise Mertens

or wild card Yuirko Lily Miyazaki in the bottom half. Unseeded Muchova will face a qualifier in her first match back, and is a potential quarterfinal opponent for Keys in the top half.

The seeds around rounded out by No.5 Jelena Ostapenko

, No.6 , No.7 and No.8 . Other notable first rounds see Krejcikova face 2021 US Open finalist , and Pavlyuchenkova face -- who's through to her first final in five years this week in Birmingham.

WTA Staff