Second-round action concludes on Thursday in Antwerp, where Andy Murray continues his campaign against Pablo Cuevas. Top seed Gael Monfils and wild card Jannik Sinner are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(8) Pablo Cuevas vs. (PR) Andy Murray
Twelve years after their first meeting, Murray and Cuevas will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they clash in round two of the European Open on Thursday evening. Murray has dominated each of their previous encounters; 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 at the 2007 U.S. Open and 6-2, 6-2 five years ago in Beijing. Currently 7-6 (2-1 in a Challenger) since his comeback from hip surgery, the 32-year-old Scot seems to be improving with each week and he kicked off his Antwerp campaign by making mostly routine work of Belgian wild card Kimmer Coppejans (6-4, 7-6(4)).
Cuevas has been solid but unspectacular this season, with a 24-20 record following Wednesday’s 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Hugo Dellien. The 45th-ranked Uruguayan has never been at his best on hard courts, but he benefited from going up against even more of a clay-court specialist in Dellien. Cuevas had been winless in two main-draw matches on this fall swing prior to his first-round result in Antwerp. A steep step up in competition will likely see the 33-year-old receive another hard-court lesson from Murray.
Pick: Murray in 2
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(1) Gael Monfils vs. (WC) Jannik Sinner
Sinner’s breakout 2019 campaign will conclude at the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan (wild-card entry), but he won’t be looking past a shot at an ATP quarterfinal appearance and what would be by far the biggest win of his young career. Although the 18-year-old Italian is an obvious underdog on paper, he can always be dangerous with his big-hitting and fearless style of play. Sinner’s talent has paid off in a big way this season, highlighted by the first four ATP-level match victories–including over an in-form Kamil Majchrzak via a 6-4, 6-2 rout on Tuesday.
Monfils is a stellar 32-15 in 2019, but injuries have once again been a problem and will likely prevent him from making a trip to the Nitto ATP Finals. The 33-year-old Frenchman came within a final-set tiebreaker of reaching the U.S. Open semifinals (lost to Matteo Berrettini) and he has not been the same since. Monfils is just 2-4 in his last six matches, seemingly wearing down as he embarks on the home stretch of the season. You never know what you are going to get on any given day from the world No. 13, but this looks like a big opportunity for Sinner.
Pick: Sinner in 3
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Murray in 3; Monfils in 2.