Delray Beach R1 previews and picks: Isner vs. Matosevic, Dodig vs. Young

Fellow Americans John Isner and Donald Young will headline first-round action in Delray Beach on Tuesday. They are set for respective meetings with Marinko Matosevic and Ivan Dodig.

Marinko Matosevic vs. (2) John Isner

Isner and Matosevic will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Delray Beach Open on Tuesday. All three of their previous encounters have gone Isner’s way. The 6’10” American prevailed 7-6(9), 6-7(5), 7-5 last spring on the clay courts of Madrid, 7-6(8), 6-4 in Atlanta, and later in the U.S. Open Series with a 6-3, 7-6(1) victory in Cincinnati.

Just as he did in the two most recent meetings, Isner will enjoy home-court advantage in this one. The world No. 19 almost always plays his best tennis in the United States, but he is looking to bounce back from a disappointing Memphis quarterfinal loss to countryman Sam Querrey. Matosevic dropped his Memphis opener to Dustin Brown, leaving the 78th-ranked Australian a mere 1-4 on the season. With both men struggling, this should be a typical Isner match that is decided by just a few points. Those often go his way–at least when he is playing at home.

Pick: Isner in 3

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Ivan Dodig vs. Donald Young

Young is looking to build on an impressive week in Memphis, where he reached the singles semifinals (lost to Kevin Anderson in three sets) and finished runner-up in doubles (with partner Artem Sitak). The world No. 58’s trek though the draw featured wins over Adrian Mannarino, Denis Kudla, and Bernard Tomic. Young is now 6-3 for his 2015 campaign and he has not lost in the first round in any of three events.

Dodig has also advanced out of the opening round in all four of his tournaments this season. Still, the veteran Croat is struggling down at 86th in the rankings having dealt with a few injuries in 2014 while finding far more success on the doubles court. Dodig, a Doha quarterfinalist, lost to Isner 6-4, 7-6(5) in the last 16 of Memphis. This could go either way, but Young played a ton of tennis last week and a well-rested Dodig may be able to take advantage.

Pick: Dodig in 3

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