Dominic Thiem

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2020 @AustralianOpen Week 1 Men’s Preview, Predictions, Long Shot R1 Picks
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

It’s a new year with the same pressing question: Will a Young Gun will snatch a major from the Big Three? It’s never felt more in their grasp, and yet it still feels like Groundhog Day. Like floodgates after a massive storm, you know that when the day comes when a young’un lifts that fat hardware, it will become a regular occurrence.

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Who is going to be the first? Zverev’s January form lends pessimism to his campaign. Daniil Medvedev tops his quarter with Zverev as the challenger-in-waiting. This is a shame for the youth movement. Assuming Zverev can get to a quarterfinal with the Russian, the winner should be exhausted enough to lose to #1 seed Nadal in the semifinal, unless fatigue has set in with Nadal as well. Nadal’s path is predictably easy into the fourth round. After that, he could draw dangerously unpredictable Nick Kyrgios and with another win, Dominic Thiem. Should he be forced to run this gantlet, Nadal may survive Thiem, but he will be a wounded warrior going after the winner of Zverev and Medvedev.

A wild card in Zverev’s section is Andrey Rublev, who has already picked up two titles in 2020. He’ll do well to advance to a fourth round match against Sascha, but the fatigue should have set in by then, allowing Zverev to advance to a Medvedev quarterfinal.

R4: Nadal d. Kyrgios
R4: Thiem d. Duckworth
QF: Nadal vs. Thiem
QF: Medvedev d. Zverev

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Roger Federer never seems to have an easy draw, but he has to be pleased with this one. Young Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round would be his biggest test. On the other side of that quarter, I predict Berretini will be upset by Fabio Fognini, setting up a Federer-Fognini quarterfinal.

R4: Fognini d. Berretini
R4: Federer d. Shapovalov
QF: Federer vs. Fognini

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Djokokvic’s quarter is counter-weighted by young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas, but before that quarterfinal match occurs, I’m taking Dusan Lajovic to meet the Serb in the fourth round. Roberto Bautista Agut will likely stand in the way of Tsitsipas in the fourth round as well. This is another quarter that should be upset-free, with the exception of Lloyd Harris taking out #14 seed Diego Schwartzman in the first round.

R4: Djokovic d. Lajovic
R4: Tstsipas d. Bautista Agut
QF: Djokovic vs. Tstsipas

So this is the moment where Elliot Benchetrit asks the ballkid to peel his banana. I’m glad the umpire (John Blom) stepped in and told him off. pic.twitter.com/TK1GET68pG

— Alex Theodoridis (@AlexTheodorid1s) January 19, 2020

And finally, it’s time for our new segment called “Potentially Worthy Picks”. These are big upset bets with big paydays. Remember that this is for amusement purposes only, and if you place a real bet and it doesn’t win, please don’t flame me on twitter. It’s not like I called you a liar on national television.

Potentially Worthy First Round Upset Picks
Lloyd Harris (+300) d. Diego Schwartzman
Elliot Benchetrit (+200) d. Yuichi Sugita
Yasataka Uchiyama (+300) d. Mikael Ymer

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Running for 2018 ATP Shanghai Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The second to last ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year, the Shanghai Rolex Masters, kicks off this week with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the top seeds. Here is your look at China’s marquee ATP World Tour tournament.

Top Half:

Roger Federer will look to bounce back from a disappointing US Open defeat. He’ll open against China’s own Ze Zhang or current Tokyo finalist Daniil Medvedev. Andrey Rublev won his first match since the Summer in Beijing but he’ll still be an underdog against Roberto Bautista Agut. I’ll back Milos Raonic to reach the third round, defeating a qualifier and RBA/Rublev. Federer should be a slight favorite against Raonic.

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Sam Querrey should luck out a bit with his draw, Diego Schwartzman is seeded but not in great form, a qualifier/Robin Haase also shouldn’t be a difficult challenge. Kei Nishikori should be fatigued from reaching the Tokyo final, but he’ll get past Yibing Wu/Zhe Li. I’ll back Querrey to upset a tired Nishikori.

Juan Martin Del Potro is in the Beijing final, and given the fatigue factor I’ll back Richard Gasquet to beat Leonardo Mayer and Del Potro to reach round 3. Stan Wawrinka looks set to meet him at this stage. Wawrinka is coming back into form, he opens with a struggling Borna Coric, and then will get Nick Kyrgios or a qualifier. Kyrgios is also struggling right now, Gasquet has an edge against Wawrinka.

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Dominic Thiem will take on Matthew Ebden and Frances Tiafoe, he’ll be favored into the third round with Matthew Ebden/Frances Tiafoe up in round 2, and then Marton Fucsovics favored to beat Damir Dzumhur and Jack Sock/Peter Gojowczyk before falling to Thiem in round 3.

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Bottom Half:

Marin Cilic or Kyle Edmund will emerge into the quarterfinal from their section, Edmund is in good form and should be favored against Filip Krajinovic and Adrian Mannarino/Andreas Seppi, both of whom are in poor form. Cilic was surprised early in his last tournament, but Nicolas Jarry/Mischa Zverev are very beatable right now. Cilic over Edmund is my pick.

Alexander Zverev isn’t playing near his best right now and I have Denis Shapovalov upsetting him after Shapovalov edges current Beijing finalist Nikoloz Basilashvili. I’ll back Alex De Minaur to make a run, defeating a qualifier and Pablo Carreno Busta/qualfier before falling to Shapovalov.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas faces Gael Monfils in round 1, Karen Khachanov or Steve Johnson will follow, Kevin Anderson is favored to win the section with wins over Albert Ramos/qualifier and Tsitsipas in round 3.

In the bottom section Novak Djokovic will be favored all the way through as Jeremy Chardy/Max Marterer, and Gilles Simon don’t present a huge challenge. It’s Simon’s section to lose through the first two rounds as Marco Cecchinato and Hyeon Chung/qualifier are not in the best of form. Djokovic over Simon is the pick.

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Predictions

Quarters
Federer d. Querrey
Thiem d. Gasquet
Shapovalov d. Cilic
Djokovic d. Anderson

Federer and Djokovic should roll into the final with Djokovic having an edge. Look for Shapovalov and Thiem to spring some upsets as they also post solid results.

Semis
Federer d. Thiem
Djokovic d. Shapovalov

Final
Djokovic d. Federer

Gilles Simon and Bernard Tomic Claim ATP Titles in Recent Weeks
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Four 250 level hard court stops took place on the ATP Tour over the past 2 weeks, producing four different singles winners who will be proud of their accomplishments for vastly different reasons.

ATP Metz

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Tour veteran Gilles Simon put together a surprising weak on home court in Metz, claiming his second title of 2018 7-6 6-1 against qualifier Matthias Bachinger. The win marks the first time Simon has won multiple ATP titles in a season since 2011. He dropped a set against Filip Krajinovic in the second round, but otherwise eased past Jiri Vesely, Richard Gasquet, and Radu Albot to reach the final.

Also a veteran, Bachinger took part in his first ever ATP final, coming through qualifying and then defeating Jaume Munar, Gregoire Barrere, Yannick Maden, and Kei Nishkori, his last two wins coming in three sets, with the stunning result over Nishikori one of the finest wins of his journeyman career.

The home nation swept the titles as Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin teamed up to defeat the Skupski brothers in the doubles final.

ATP St. Petersburg

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Austrian #1 Dominic Thiem balled out on hard courts claiming a third title for 2018 with a 6-3 6-1 routine victory against Martin Klizan in the St. Petersburg final. Thiem won four matches, dropping just a set in Russia. His wins came against J.L. Struff, Daniil Medvedev in a third set tiebreak, and Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the final.

Klizan had a good tournament as well, claiming wins against Evgeny Donskoy, Fabio Fognini, Denis Shapovalov, and Stan Wawrinka to reach the final, the final two wins coming in three set contests.

Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini teamed up to win the doubles title against Jebavy/Middelkoop.

ATP Shenzhen

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Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka claimed his first ever ATP title 7-5 2-6 6-4 against Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The 23 year old has overcome a rash of injuries and in his first ATP final he was clutch against the more experienced Herbert. Like the other winner on the ATP Tour this week, Bernard Tomic, Nishioka came through qualifying to reach the main draw. In the main draw his wins came against Denis Kudla, Denis Shapovalov, Cam Norrie, and Fernando Verdasco, with Shapovalov and Verdasco taking three sets to defeat.

Herbert defeated Dusan Lajovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Albert Ramos, and Alex De Minaur to reach the final, needing three sets in his last two victories, including a nip and tuck win against ADM. The result is Herbert’s second ever ATP final.

Salisbury/Mclachlan defeated Lindstedt/Ram in the doubles final.

ATP Chengdu

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It’s been a long road back to this point for 25 year old Aussie Bernard Tomic, but he finally claimed another piece of ATP hardware winning his first title since 2015 6-1 3-6 7-6(7) against Fabio Fognini. Trailing in the tiebreak, Tomic had to produce both luck and skill to comeback for the win. He is now likely set to feature again at the higher level ATP tournaments as he had to come through qualifying where he dropped sets in two of his three matches, just to reach the main draw in this 250. In the main draw he edged Bradley Klahn and Lloyd Harris, then eased past Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Joao Sousa to reach the final.

Fognini has reached 4 ATP finals this season, he had a relatively smooth path against Ruben Bemelmans, Matt Ebden, and Taylor Fritz this week, though he did drop a set to Fritz.

Croatia’s Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig defeated Nedunchezhiyan/Krajicek in the doubles final.

Home Hero Dominic Thiem Hopes to Lift ATP Kitzbuhel Trophy

Posted by Admin on July 29, 2018

Posted in: ATP, Kitzbuhel, Steen Kirby. Tagged: 2018 ATP Kitzbuhel, 2018 Generali Open, ATP Kitzbuhel, ATP Kitzbuhel Predictions, Dominic Thiem, Dominic Thiem Kitzbuhel, Generali Open, Generali Open Predictions, Laslo Djere, Nicolas Jarry, Phillip Kohlschreiber. Leave a comment

Home Hero Dominic Thiem Hopes to Lift ATP Kitzbuhel Trophy
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP 250 on clay in Kitzbuhel closes out the ATP clay court season as some of the ATP’s best on the surface look to maximize their points and money with one final set of matches.

Top Half:

Dominic Thiem is very good on clay, and should be thrilled to get the chance to show that in his home country. The top seed faces Sebastian Ofner or qualifier Martin Klizan first up, with Dusan Lajovic likely to defeat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and then Dennis Novak/Jurij Rodionov in round 2. Thiem should take the section though Klizan and Lajovic are not pushovers on the surface.

Robin Haase is a former champ but I have him falling to Yannick Hanfmann or Jaume Munar in the second round. Hamburg champion Nikoloz Basilashvili opens with Laslo Djere, he should be fatigued so the Gstaad semifinalist Djere should advance. I have Djere beating Taro Daniel or J.L. Struff and then Hanfmann in the quarters.

Bottom Half:

Phillip Kohlschreiber is the defending champion, he should get Federico Delbonis/Denis Istomin in round 2. Kohli is the favorite to reach the quarters while I have an in-form Jurgen Zopp running the table past Max Marterer and Corentin Moutet/Mikhail Kukushkin before falling to Kohlschreiber.

I’ll back the in-form Nicolas Jarry to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena and Fernando Verdasco to reach the quarters. Gilles Simon should edge an exhausted Matteo Berrettini while Jozef Kovalik is in good enough form to get past Radu Albot and Simon. I’ll take Jarry to beat Kovalik in the quarters.

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Predictions

Semis
Thiem d. Djere
Jarry d. Kohlschreiber

Thiem is the favorite to take the title and if things hold true to form he’ll do so, triumphing at home.

Final
Thiem d. Jarry

ATP Hamburg 500 Favorites are Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, and Marco Cecchinato
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP Hamburg 500 is the final 500 level on clay for the season. Some of the ATP’s best descend upon Germany for a week of battles on the clay. Here is your preview, with predictions.

Top Half:

Dominic Thiem is the top seed and he’ll begin his quest for the title against Corentin Moutet. Moutet is no pushover on clay but Thiem should be renewed after a poor Wimbledon. Thiem should also be favored against John Millman or J.L. Struff in the second round. Bastad finalist Richard Gasquet should defeat Benoit Paire and Nicolas Jarry or Peter Gojowczyk to setup the quarterfinal matchup with Thiem as the favorite.

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Pablo Carreno Busta is a good clay court player and should get past Florian Myer and Aljaz Bedene/Henri Laaksonen to reach the quarters. Phillip Kohlschreiber should get past Nikoloz Basilashvili and Marton Fucsovics/Pablo Cuevas to reach the quarters as well, where his run at home should end at the hands of PCB.

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Bottom Half:

I have Diego Schwartzman falling in an upset against Casper Ruud, Ruud reached the quarters of Bastad and other than a nice run at Roland Garros, DSS has nod had the best of seasons. Ruud should beat Daniel Masur or Max Marterer in the second round. A finalist in Umag, Marco Cecchinato will be tested by Gael Monfils. GIven the fatigue factor I’ll back Monfils to beat the Italian and also Leonardo Mayer/Albert Ramos to reach the quarters, where he should be favored over Ruud.

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Look for qualifier Jozef Kovalik to have a good week, Kovalik will open with Damir Dzumhur, who isn’t at his best right now. David Ferrer or Rudolf Molleker will be next, both players are struggling and thus the in-form Kovalik has the inside track. Gilles Simon should defeat Thiago Monteiro but the Fernando Verdasco/Dusan Lajovic winner has the edge in this section, and I have the Bastad semifinalist Verdasco reaching the semis in Hamburg.

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Predictions

Semis
Thiem d. Carreno Busta
Monfils d. Verdasco

The tour veterans Monfils and Verdasco should face off in the semis, while Thiem has the inside track to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament.

Final
Thiem d. Monfils

Rafael Nadal Claims 11th Roland Garros Title in Straight Sets over Dominic Thiem
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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Rafael Nadal entered as the French Open favorite and left as the French Open champion for the 11th time in his illustrious career. Nadal, the game’s best ever on clay (perhaps by some margin), dropped just one set the entire tournament as he cruised through a crop of solid ATP players to triumph in Paris yet again.

In the final it was Nadal against Austria’s Dominic Thiem, a player that beaten Rafa before on clay, but was contesting his maiden Grand Slam final (having previously reached the semis at Roland Garros). Thiem wasn’t a pushover, and on the surface he’d probably beat anyone else in tennis, but not Nadal. The Spaniard got off to a strong start and in every pressure moment, forced Thiem to buckle under his attack. Nadal prevailed 6-4 6-3 6-2, the scoreline reflecting how he took control of the match as the minutes ticked by. The final point securing Nadal his 17th Grand Slam overall as he continues to chase Roger Federer in tennis history.

Nadal’s path to the final saw him tested in his opening match against Simone Bolelli. The Italian put everything he could into the opening set and nearly took it, but in the end Nadal grinded his way to a three set victory. Guido Pella and Richard Gasquet put up far less resistance in rounds 2 and 3. Max Marterer played a good third set but still lost in straights. The quarterfinal match against Diego Schwartzman was Rafa’s toughest of the tournament. He struggled at the start and went a set and a break down, then the rain came. Forced to come back the next day to complete the match, Schwartzman couldn’t maintain his high level and lost in four sets.

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Nadal took on Juan Martin Del Potro in the semis, Del Potro blitzed his way to that stage and was looking to be in great form, but then the Nadal hurricane hit as the Spaniard lost just 7 games and reached the final via straight sets.

Thiem’s path wasn’t so smooth, as he had to battle through the middle rounds. He put away Ilya Ivashka in straights, then defeated Stefanos Tsitipas and Matteo Berrentini in 4 sets. Kei Nishikori pushed him to four at the start of week 2, but after winning that Thiem really found his groove against an exhausted Alexander Zverev and upset hero Marco Cecchinato. Cecchinato stunned Novak Djokovic in the match of the tournament to reach his first ever slam semi, but the rising Italian was no match for Thiem.

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French fans found some joy as Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut continued their strong doubles partnership and took the title over Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic. It’s the third slam title for the French pair, and their first at their home slam in Paris.

Looking ahead, Nadal and Roger Federer will take their battle for world #1 into the grass and hard court seasons, while Thiem looks set to have a strong run on hard courts (at least), Cecchinato will look to consolidate his breakthrough, and Del Potro will look to stay among the game’s elite.

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Rafael Nadal Has Clear Path to Another Roland Garros Final
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The first week of action is complete in Paris, and Rafael Nadal remains the favorite to capture yet another French Open title. Here is a look at the 16 remaining men hoping to capture glory at Roland Garros, and a look at whether anyone can topple Rafa.

Rafael Nadal vs. Max Marterer

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Rafael Nadal, the tournament favorite, was challenged early by Simone Bolelli, the Italian veteran pushed him to a tiebreak but Nadal still won in straight sets. His second and third round matches were routs as he dominated Guido Pella and home favorite Richard Gasquet, surrendering just 11 games over 6 sets.

Fourth round opponent Max Marterer has extended his career year with a fantastic run at Roland Garros. The young German has a bright future, as evidenced by his wins against Ryan Harrison and Jurgen Zopp in straights, and Denis Shapovalov, another ATP young gun, in 4 sets. Zopp, a journeyman veteran, upset Jack Sock earlier in the tournament, and given his opposition, Marterer has really not been challenged.

All of that said, Nadal should blow past his lower ranked and less experienced opponent and I don’t see him dropping a set.

Diego Schwartzman vs. Kevin Anderson

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Reaching week 2 is a solid result for both players. Schwartzman hasn’t dropped a set, defeating Calvin Hemery, Adam Pavlasek, and Borna Coric with ease. Anderson dropped sets against Pablo Cuevas and Mischa Zverev in rounds 2 and 3, after a straight set win over Paolo Lorenzi in round 1.

Form would favor Schwartzman, but Anderson is a bit more accomplished and I’ll still tip him to edge this contest. This is a clash between one of the ATP’s shortest players, against one of the ATP’s tallest.

Marin Cilic vs. Fabio Fognini

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Cilic will be the favorite after dropping just one set in three matches, but Fognini has always had the potential to make noise on clay. The Croatian defeated James Duckworth and Steve Johnson in straights, dropping a set to Hubert Hurkacz in round 2.

Fognini had to survive a five set test against Kyle Edmund where he came back from 2 sets to 1 down to prevail. His other wins came with ease against Pablo Andujar and Elias Ymer. I’ll go with Cilic by a small margin.

John Isner vs. Juan Martin Del Potro

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A great opportunity for either player. Isner has beaten Noah Rubin and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straights, and Horacio Zeballos in 4 sets to reach this stage. Del Potro dropped a set in round 1 against Nicolas Mahut but then breezed past Julien Benneteau and Albert Ramos.

Isner is actually a solid player on clay, but Del Potro is more well rounded and should win this.

David Goffin vs. Marco Cecchinato

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David Goffin will face an opponent he just defeated in Rome. Goffin saved four match points against Gael Monfils and a hostile crowd in round 3, prior to that he survived a challenged from Robin Haase, who collapsed from 2 sets to love up, and put away Corentin Moutet in straights.

Cecchinato is having a career year and rising fast. The Italian defeated Marius Copil 10-8 in the 5th set, then recovered nicely to ease past Marco Trungelliti, a lucky loser who had to drive from Barcelona to accept his spot in the draw and then won his round 1 match. In the third round Cecchinato upset Pablo Carreno Busta, denying PCB a great opportunity to make a run in this soft section.

Cecchinato has a shot at another upset, but if Goffin recovers himself he’ll prevail.

Novak Djokovic vs. Fernando Verdasco

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Djokovic looked a bit shaky against Roberto Bautista Agut, but he still won that round 3 contest in four sets, and prior to that he got the job done in straights against Rogerio Dutra Silva and Jaume Munar.

Verdasco is having a late career resurgence on the dirt. The Spaniard with the powerful forehand was pushed to the brink against Yoshihito Nishioka, but after that five set win he defeated Guido Andreozzi and one of the higher seeds, Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. Verdasco has the talent to push Djokovic, but you can’t pick against the former champion at this stage.

Dominic Thiem vs. Kei Nishikori

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The match of the round it seems, Nishikori is back in form having won in straights against Gilles Simon and Maxime Janvier, and edging Benoit Paire in 5 sets. The Japanese #1 has played at Frenchman in France three straight times, and come out a winner.

Thiem is playing incredibly well on clay right now. He won Lyon in the run up to RG and then put away Ilya Ivashka, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Matteo Berrettini, dropping sets in rounds 2 and 3 but coming away the winner regardless.

This match could go either way but I’ll back Thiem’s form, this is his chance to do something memorable in Paris.

Karen Khachanov vs. Alexander Zverev

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Despite being a heavy favorite in the early rounds, Zverev has struggled mightily after dispatching Ricardas Berankis in round 1. Both Dusan Lajovic and Damir Dzumhur challenged the young German star, with Lajovic succumbing to fatigue and Dzumhur failing to maintain his high level over the final 2 sets.

Khachanov has done nicely to make it this far, he’s not the strongest on clay but he put away Andreas Haider-Maurer, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and home favorite Lucas Pouille to reach this stage.

Zverev has all the ability but I’m far from sold on his mindset, and thus I’ll tip Khachanov in an upset.

Predictions

Quarters
Nadal d. Anderson
Del Potro d. Cilic
Djokovic d. Goffin
Thiem d. Khachanov

Either Del Potro or Cilic could win the right to lose to Nadal in the semis, though Del Potro has a better chance to win that semi. Djokovic should do enough to reach the semis, but Thiem has a chance to be the player of the tournament.

Semis
Nadal d. Del Potro
Thiem d. Djokovic

I’ll back an upset in the second semi, but Nadal is not going to lose this championship, particularly if Djokovic doesn’t find form quickly.

Final
Nadal d. Thiem

Thiem Warms Up for Roland Garros with Title, Fucsovics Makes Hungary Proud
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Lyon

Elite player Dominic Thiem squared off with home favorite Gilles Simon in the Lyon final, Thiem emerging the winner 3-6 7-6 6-1, as he recovered from a slow start to power past the defensively minded Simon. Presuming he’s fresh for Roland Garros, this week should prove a great warmup for the Austrian star he dropped sets against Dusan Lajovic and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the semifinals and quartefinals respectively, but won those matches in the end. His first win game against Roberto Carballes Baena.

Simon also looks good for Paris as he found form and defeated Jordi Samper-Montana, Joris De Loore, Mikhail Kukushkin, and Cam Norrie to reach the final, his only set dropped coming against Kukushkin.

Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock won the doubles final against Jebavy/Middelkoop.

ATP Geneva

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Marton Fucsovics looks to be finally fulfilling his promise as he claimed his first ever ATP title with a 6-2 6-2 drubbing of Peter Gojowczyk. Fucsovics has put together the best season of his career in 2018 and earned wins against Albert Ramos, Frances Tiafoe, home hero Stan Wawrinka, and Steve Johnson (in 3 sets) to reach the final.

Gojowczyk has also put together a career best year with wins against Ivo Karlovic, David Ferrer, Andreas Seppi, and Fabio Fognini in Switzerland. He beat Seppi and Karlovic in 3 sets, and his win against Fognini was a major upset. Now he hopes to be a factor at Roland Garros.

Marach/Pavic defeated Dodig/Ram in the doubles final.

ATP Lyon Features Shotmakers Dominic Thiem, Jack Sock, and Gael Monfils Tuning Up for Paris
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The 250 on clay in Lyon, France features an engaging field of talents including Jack Sock, and John Isner, top seed Dominic Thiem, and fan favorite Gael Monfils. Here is your full preview with predictions of the Open Parc ARA.

Top Half:

Dominic Thiem will begin his title quest against Roberto Carballes Baena or a qualifier, Carballes is no pushover but Thiem has put together a solid season on clay and should ease past that match and a quarterfinal contest against one of Calvin Hemery/Corentin Moutet/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez/Adrian Mannarino to reach the semifinals.

Jack Sock has a tough section featuring his countryman Taylor Fritz (or Matt Ebden) up first, with Dusan Lajovic or Joao Sousa likely to follow (Horacio Zeballos and a qualifier are also here). Both Sousa and Lajovic have had success on clay this year, and I’ll back Lajovic to beat Zeballos, Sousa, and Sock to reach the semis.

Bottom Half:

John Isner will take on Federico Delbonis/Radu Albot in his first match, Delbonis has a solid chance of tripping him up, but I’ll back Isner into the quarters opposite Max Marterer. Marterer is playing better than home hero Gael Monfils, and potential second round opponents Cam Norrie/qualifier, but Isner should have the edge with his kick serve in the quarters.

I’ll back faded veteran Gilles Simon to beat a qualifier then upset Hyeon Chung to reach the quarterfinals on home clay. I have John Millman defeating Nicolas Kicker and Gregoire Barrere/Mikhail Kukushkin to reach the quarters, with Simon winning that quarterfinal.

Predictions

Semis
Thiem d. Lajovic
Isner d. Simon

I’ll back Isner to serve his way into the final, but Thiem is the heavy favorite to win the tournament unless he tanks in preparation for a deep run in Paris.

Final
Thiem d. Isner

Alexander Zverev Extends Masters Success In Madrid

Posted by Admin on May 13, 2018

Posted in: ATP, Madrid, Steen Kirby. Tagged: 2018 ATP Madrid, Alexander Zverev, Alexander Zverev Madrid, ATP Madrid, ATP Madrid Final, Denis Shapovalov, Dominic Thiem, Dominic Thiem Madrid, Kevin Anderson, Thiem vs. Zverev, Zverev Madrid. Leave a comment

Alexander Zverev Extends Masters Success In Madrid
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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Alexander Zverev won his second ATP title in as many weeks and extended his winning streak on clay to nine matches with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Dominic Thiem in the ATP Madrid Masters 1000 final. The title is Zverev’s third at the Masters level, as he remains the most successful of the ATP’s next gen talents at this point in their careers.

Zverev showed no signs of fatigue as he wrapped up his matches quickly in Madrid this past week. The young German didn’t drop a set against Evgeny Donskoy, Leonardo Mayer, John Isner, and Denis Shapovalov, he wasn’t even pushed to a tiebreak. Shapovalov had a great week, reaching a Masters semi on clay for the first time in his promising career.

Thiem reached his second ATP final of the season with close victories over Federico Delbonis and Borna Coric at the start of the week, and then straight set wins against Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson. The win against Nadal snapped the Spaniard’s winning streak on clay dating back to last season, as Thiem rose up and played his best match of the season in that spirited contest.

Mektic/Peya won the doubles final over the Bryan Brothers, as one of the Bryans came down with a hip injury in the opening set.

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