Draw for the WTA 250 in Nottingham: Difficult path for double defending champion Boulter, Haddad Maia, Mertens, and Tauson learn their fate

While the WTA 500 in Berlin will garner all the attention with an incredible field (nine players from the top 10 present), the rest of the women's circuit will continue to battle on the English grass, specifically in Nottingham.

Katie Boulter, winner in 2023 and 2024, will aim for a third consecutive title. But the British player, who is only the 8th seed, did not have an easy draw. In her opening match, she will face Lulu Sun, a quarter-finalist at the last Wimbledon.

She might then meet her compatriot Sonay Kartal or a qualifier, before a potential quarter-final against Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Brazilian, the top seed of the event, will start against McCartney Kessler.

At the bottom of the draw, Clara Tauson will start against Kimberly Birrell. She is in Magda Linette’s quarter, while Elise Mertens, who was a finalist in ’s-Hertogenbosch, will face Dayana Yastremska.

Among the other matches, Tatjana Maria has the status of a special exempt (SE) following her qualification for the final at Queen’s. If she doesn't withdraw, she will have a challenging first round against Petra Kvitova.

One can also note the matchup between the two British wild cards Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones, or the presence of Mingge Xu, a young 17-year-old player, who will play against Katie Volynets.