THE 2020 WTA Libema Open fantasy tennis tournament is set to provide plenty of interest and excitement as the first grass court competition for the year following a massive Roland Garros last week. We preview the fantasy tournament, with plenty of familiar names gracing the court over the coming week.

FAVOURITE

Karolina Pliskova (CZE)

Top seed Pliskova is the one to watch here at s-Hertogenbosch and with a mostly disappointing clay court run especially in the latter tournaments, she will be looking for a fresh start on grass alongside her first seeding. The hard hitting Czech is a force to be reckoned with with plenty of endurance and speed, while her continued success across the board will see her come in confident and with a wealth of winning experience under her belt to be a worthy favourite.

CONTENDERS

Alison Riske (USA)

While not in her best form as of late, Riske is a formidable opposition when she gets going and with the 2019 title behind her cannot be underestimated at s-Hertogenbosch. A rough clay season may not have been what Riske was hoping for, but the American talent comes into the s-Hertogenbosch as sixth seed, and with plenty of winning experience expect her to go far here.

Kiki Bertens (NED)

Third seed Bertens was runner up last year and has been in solid form recently, making her a real option to take out the crown with plenty of winning ability and confidence especially given her consistency on court and ability to turn out impressive come-from-behind performances. On home soil the Dutch talent will have plenty of support coming her way, with bounds of energy and experience propelling her forward. While widely regarded as a clay court specialist, Bertens has proven she can contest on any surface meaning she cannot be ruled out here.

Ons Jabeur (TUN)

While Jabeur has currently dipped in form, dropping a couple of ranks, the world number 41 can match it with the upper echelon on her day and with a quality grass ranking she comes in at eleventh on the board. With versatility across all surfaces, the Tunisian can pull out some spectacular wins and while she is yet to make a real name for herself on the circuit, still without a title, this could be her chance to switch things up.

ROUGHIE

Coco Gauff (USA)

A star in the making and still only 16-years-old, Gauff may not be the most experienced here but has enough X-factor to take out a couple of big guns if she can gain the upper hand. With a couple of grand slam winners in her quarter of the draw expect the young gun to encounter some top talent early, but with plenty of flair and excitement Gauff could be a real fighter here at s-Hertogenbosch.

DARK HORSE

Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)

The 31-year-old Tsurenko is typically known for her hardcourt expertise but like majority of the aforementioned players, can perform well across many surfaces meaning she is somewhat of an unknown quantity coming into the tournament. A qualifier at s-Hertogenbosch, Tsurenko will need to prove herself but is more than capable of crossing a couple of rounds, so will need to ensure she is consistent against earlier foes if she intends to push the top players.