Aegon Interational

2017 ATP Eastbourne and Antalya Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The grass court season winds down on the ATP Tour with 250 level stops in Eastbourne, UK, where TA will be providing on-side coverage, and at a new ATP tournament in Antalya, Turkey. With grass court prep opportunities very limited on the ATP tour, a host of top players are looking for just a few extra matches before Wimbledon, including Novak Djokovic. Here is your full preview.

Aegon International
ATP World Tour 250*
Eastbourne, Great Britain
June 26-July 1, 2017
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: €635,660

*denotes joint ATP/WTA event

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (2)
2: Gael Monfils (17)
3: John Isner (24)
4: Steve Johnson (25)

First round matches to watch:

Jiri Vesely vs. (Q)Vasek Pospisil

Vesely isn’t a pushover on grass, but he’s an underdog in this one because he hasn’t played a match on the surface this year. Coming off a challenger title on clay, the switch could be a challenge, but his form is good. Pospisil has been great recently and his serve does a lot of damage on grass, look for the Canadian to get a quality win and reach round 2.

Donald Young vs. Kyle Edmund

The Queen’s quarterfinalist Young will take on Edmund, a home favorite who was poor at Queen’s Club, and could use some form. Edmund on grass is probably a safer prospect, but battles hard and could get away with another upset this week.

Nicolas Mahut vs. Robin Haase

The struggling Frenchman Mahut will take on Halle quarterfinalist Haase. Both players have the ability to peak on grass, and Mahut is typically the better player on this surface, he also has a h2h win. All of that said, if Haase can avoid a mental collapse I have him eking out a win in this one, Mahut is rapidly becoming a doubles specialist.

(5)Sam Querrey vs. Daniil Medvedev

Querrey reached the quarters in Queen’s and is solid on grass, but Medvedev, who has two straight grass quarterfinals looks to be even better. This young Russian will be a threat at Wimbledon, and has already demonstrated he has the game on this surface to trouble opponents beyond the level of Querrey. Look for the #5 seed to go home.

Top Half

Novak Djokovic is playing a rare 250 tournament, and he’ll begin his campaign against the Pospisil/Vesely winner. I have Edmund facing Jared Donaldson, after Edmund defeats Young, and Donaldson defeats Diego Schwartzman, Djokovic should then defeat Edmund to reach the semifinals. Despite his shaky form, Novak should at least get two wins this week given his typically solid grass court game.

Defending champion Steve Johnson sits in the section below, Johnson is no slouch on grass and should defeat Franko Skugor/Thomas Fabbiano to reach the quarterfinals. I have Medvedev emerging to face Djokovic in the semifinals though, his path is Querrey, and then the Mahut/Haase winner, the young Russian has every reason to compete for ATP points this week, and his form is better than Johnson’s.

Bottom Half

Gael Monfils needs to preserve his health, but he should otherwise be good enough to defeat Cam Norrie or Horacio Zeballos. I have Stuttgart semifinalist Mischa Zverev defeating Ryan Harrison and Bernard Tomic, then taking out Monfils to reach the semifinals. Tomic opens against Norbert Gombos. Zverev is the most in-form player in this section, and he’s excellent on grass.

John Isner has been pedestrian this year, and I have him losing to Jeremy Chardy in round 2, after Chardy defeats Dusan Lajovic. Presuming he’s healthy, it should be a good week for Richard Gasquet. He should blitz past Frances Tiafoe, Kevin Anderson/Thomaz Bellucci, and then Chardy. Anderson could be dangerous but he hasn’t played on grass this year.

Dark Horse: Daniil Medvedev

The Russian should make the semifinals this week, and depending on how much Djokovic will try to tank to be fresh for Wimbledon he could make the final this week. Watch out for this young run to rise.

Predictions

Semis
Djokovic d. Medvedev
Gasquet d. Zverev

I’ll go with Djokovic although I’m not certain this week, Gasquet and Zverev is also another tough match to predict, but this should be the final four.

Final
Djokovic d. Gasquet

Antalya Open
ATP World Tour 250
Antalya, Turkey
June 25-July 1, 2017
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: $439,005

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Dominic Thiem (9)
2: Paolo Lorenzi (38)
3: Fernando Verdasco (36)
4: David Ferrer (32)

First round matches to watch:

Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. Marcos Baghdatis

Baghdatis should be favored but he’s not fit and has dropped seven straight matches, Basilashvili has lost four straight but is still good enough on grass to sneak out a win in this one.

Yuichi Sugita vs. (Q)Matt Ebden

Ebden is a journeyman who is best on grass and has had some decent runs this year on the surface, Sugita has a grass challenger title and is looking to shake off the journeyman tag. This is a challenger tour level matchup, and I’ll give a fresher Sugita the slightest advantage.

Top Half

Dominic Thiem will only lose this tournament if he’s trying to preserve himself for Wimbledon. It’s one of the weakest draws on tour this year, as Thiem will begin against Rogerio Dutra Silva or qualifier Ramkumar Ramanathan. Viktor Troicki should beat Carlos Berlocq and the Basilashvili/Baghdatis winner, as I have it Thiem over Troicki in the quarters.

His terrible season aside, David Ferrer should be good enough to beat Sugita/Ebden with Martin Klizan lurking in the quarters, a match where Ferrer will be favored. Klizan faces Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan, with Daniel Altmaier or Victor Estrella to follow, in yet another weak section. I’d be shocked if it wasn’t Thiem vs. Ferrer in the semis.

Bottom Half

With Paolo Lorenzi much preferring clay, Joao Sousa becomes the defacto #2 seed, Sousa should beat Radu Albot and Lorenzi before falling to Andreas Seppi in the quarterfinals. Seppi will face qualifier Kamil Majchrzak in his ATP debut, with Janko Tipsarevic to follow. It’s been a while since Seppi was semifinal quality, but in this weak draw someone has to emerge.

Fernando Verdasco will face Steve Darcis (who beat Denis Istomin round 1), Adrian Mannarino will face Cem Ilkel or Mohamed Safwat, I have Verdasco defeating Mannarino in the strongest portion of the draw, and then putting away Seppi in the semis.