Auckland and Sydney previews and predictions

Turn your frown upside down because the Happy Slam is one week away. Some players are already getting into major-tournament mode in Melbourne, either practicing at the Australian Open venue or participating in the Kooyong Classic. Others, however, are fine-tuning their games at events in Auckland and Sydney. Among those looking for significant match practice this week are David Ferrer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Tommy Haas, John Isner, and Jerzy Janowicz.

Heineken Open

Where: Auckland, New Zealand
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $514,345
Points: 250

Top seed: David Ferrer
Defending champion: David Ferrer

Draw analysis: Ferrer is the three-time defending champion of this event and he has won it four times overall. The draw certainly has not hurt the Spaniard’s chances of bagging a fifth Auckland title this week. Almost every challenger in the top section of the bracket prefers clay over hard courts and Ferrer has the added benefit of an in-form Gael Monfils withdrawing after his runner-up showing in Doha. Monfils had been a potential semifinal opponent for Ferrer and quarterfinal adversary for Kevin Anderson, who has a first-round bye before facing either Marcos Baghdatis or Daniel Brands. The second semi spot in the top half alongside Ferrer could not be more wide open.

Like Ferrer, Philipp Kohlschreiber is no stranger to Auckland success. The German is 22-7 lifetime at the tournament with a title in 2008, a runner-up finish (to Ferrer) in 2013, and he has lost prior to the quarters only once in nine appearances. Pablo Carreno-Busta in the first round may be a significant roadblock, but Isner—Kohlschreiber’s nearest seed—is dealing with an ankle injury. Thus the door could be open for Kohlschreiber to go up against either Tommy Haas or Benoit Paire in the semifinals.

First-round upset alert: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez over (8) Robin Haase. Haase enjoyed a slightly superior 2013 season, but he was dealt a difficult draw last week in Brisbane and got blown out in his opener by Grigor Dimitrov. Garcia-Lopez showed signs of life last fall with a runner-up performance in St. Petersburg and he advanced one round in Chennai before succumbing to the fourth-seeded Paire. If the Spaniard’s one-handed backhand is clicking, Haase could be in trouble.

Hot: Daniel Brands, Michal Przysiezny

Cold: Kevin Anderson, Marcos Baghdatis, Igor Sijsling, Horacio Zeballos

Semifinal predictions: David Ferrer over Kevin Anderson and Philipp Kohlschreiber over Tommy Haas

Final: Ferrer over Kohlschreiber

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Apia International

Where: Sydney, Australia
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $452,670
Points: 250

Top seed: Juan Martin Del Potro
Defending champion: Bernard Tomic

Draw analysis: Other than Jerzy Janowicz, who was guaranteed a place at the bottom of the bracket as the No. 2 seed, just about every big hitter with an imposing serve and/or forehand found himself in the top half of the bracket. Del Potro’s path to the title match could feature Nicolas Mahut, either Vasek Pospisil or Sam Querrey, and then Tursunov, Marin Cilic, Denis Istomin, or Lukas Rosol. Aggressive, offensive players such as Radek Stepanek and Samuel Groth (who square off in the first round) are also lurking. Cilic and Istomin may collide in the second round for a rematch of an entertaining three-set battle last week in Brisbane, won by Cilic.

2012 finalists Jarkko Nieminen and Julien Benneteau have more favorable draws in the bottom half and are on a collision course for the semifinals. Janowicz is a formidable foe, but he is making his 2014 debut after withdrawing from the Hopman Cup due to a foot injury. Fellow seeds Andreas Seppi and Marcel Granollers are by no means daunting. Watch out for defending champion Bernard Tomic, who should be an unseeded favorite against Granollers in the opening round before a possible date with Nieminen. Janowicz awaits a potentially taxing opener against Alexandr Dolgopolov or Chennai runner-up Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

First-round upset alert: Sam Querrey over (5) Vasek Pospisil. In a matchup featuring similar playing styles with big serves and forehands, breaks of serve will come at a premium. This is a dangerous opening match for Pospisil no matter what, and it does not help that he retired due to a back problem in Saturday’s Chennai semifinals against Stanislas Wawrinka. Querrey’s 2014 campaign, meanwhile, got off to a decent start in Brisbane with a win over Tursunov followed by a tough three-set loss to Marinko Matosevic.

Hot: Juan Martin Del Potro, Dmitry Tursunov, Vasek Pospisil, Marcel Granollers, Nicolas Mahut, Joao Sousa

Cold: Marin Cilic, Bernard Tomic, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Matthew Ebden

Semifinal predictions: Juan Martin Del Potro over Denis Istomin and Jarkko Nieminen over Julien Benneteau

Final: Del Potro over Nieminen

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Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!