A trio of Americans will get main-draw action started on Monday in Atlanta. Ryan Harrison is taking the court against Marinko Matosevic while Denis Kudla and Ryan Williams are set for an all-wild card showdown.
Ryan Harrison vs. Marinko Matosevic
Harrison and Matosevic will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round one of the BB&T Atlanta Open on Monday afternoon. Both players are struggling but returning to a familiar scene in hopes of gaining some momentum at the start of the U.S. Open Series. Matosevic is 10-19 at the ATP level after retiring earlier this month in the Newport first round. The 73rd-ranked Australian is 1-2 lifetime in Atlanta main draws, having qualified and advanced to the second round in 2011.
Like Matosevic, Harrison has participated in the last two Atlanta installments and fell in the opening round last season. In 2011, though, the American reached the semifinals before succumbing to eventual champion Mardy Fish. Harrison currently finds himself in a slump that registers him down at No. 132 in the world. The 21-year-old qualified in Eastbourne and reached the last 16, but he has since lost three matches in row. Similar to most Americans, however, Harrison generally plays his best tennis on U.S. hard courts. That should be enough for the crowd favorite to take advantage of Matosevic’s questionable form.
Pick: Harrison in 3
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(WC) Denis Kudla vs. (WC) Rhyne Williams
The pair of American wild cards will be featured during night-session action on Monday. They faced each other five years ago at the Futures level when both players were not even close to reaching their 20s, with Kudla cruising through a clay-court encounter 6-3, 6-3. Their most recent meeting came last December–also in Atlanta–on an indoor hard court at the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs. Kudla served for the match in the second set but Williams stormed back to prevail 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-1.
Kudla is up to No. 92 in the world (as of Sunday), two spots off his career-high ranking and good enough for direct entry into the U.S. Open. The 20-year-old qualified at Wimbledon and advanced one round before losing a tough first-rounder on the grass courts of Newport to Vasek Pospisil in three sets. Williams got off to hot start in 2013, winning a wild card into the Aussie Open (lost to Florian Mayer in three sets) and capturing a Challenger title in Dallas. The 22-year-old, ranked 127th, struggled on grass but had to play Nicolas Mahut in the first round of each of the two events that Mahut eventually won. This battle of Williams’ forehand vs. Kudla’s backhand will come down to which man can better dictate play and utilize his favorite shot.
Pick: Kudla in 3
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