Alexander Bulik will be making a quick turnaround after finishing runner-up in Newport when he takes the court against Reilly Opelka on Tuesday in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Jack Sock is making his comeback against Miomir Kecmanovic.
Reilly Opelka vs. Alexander Bublik
John Isner is 31-4 lifetime at the BB&T Atlanta Open with five titles, but his bid for a sixth winner’s trophy most likely won’t get started in routine fashion. Isner awaits either Opelka or Bublik, who will face other for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. Opelka upset Isner twice earlier this season at the Australian Open and on the indoor hard courts of New York, while Bublik is coming off a runner-up performance last week in Newport (lost to none other than Isner 7-6(2), 6-3 in Sunday’s final).
It has been a stellar season for both players. Opelka is one of the most dangerous servers on tour at 6’11” and he has started to put other pieces of his game together to reach No. 57 in the world. Bublik, who played especially well in Miami and at the French Open prior to Newport, is up to a career-high of 71st. But the 22-year-old Russian has to be fatigued and he is prone to mental lapses on his own serve, which would be disastrous against someone like Opelka–just as they were against Isner on Sunday.
Pick: Opelka in 2
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Miomir Kecmanovic vs. (WC) Jack Sock
Sock qualified for the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals in singles and in doubles won two Grand Slams plus the Nitto ATP Finals in 2018, but 2019 has basically been non-existent for him. The 26-year-old American sustained an injury to ligaments in his right thumb at the Australian Open and has not played since. Sock is finally returning in Atlanta, where he is a three-time quarterfinalist (including one semifinal showing) and a former doubles champion (2014 with Vasek Pospisil).
Up first for the world No. 180 on Tuesday night is Kecmanovic, for whom 2019 has been a breakthrough campaign. The 19-year-old Serb is up to 66th in the rankings thanks in part to a quarterfinal run in Indian Wells and a runner-up performance in Antalya. Given his rust, there are few players in the draw Sock would beat this week; Kecmanovic certainly isn’t one of those players.
Pick: Kecmanovic in 2
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Bublik in 3; Kec in 2.