Dominic Thiem will kick off his 2015 campaign on Monday in Auckland against U.S. Open doubles partner Jan-Lennard Struff. Steve Johnson and Joao Sousa are also in first-round action.
Dominic Thiem vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
Thiem will be taking the court for the first time in 2015 on Monday at the Heineken Open. The 21-year-old is hoping to build on a breakout season that has him up to No. 39 in the world (as of Sunday). Highlights included too many successful qualifications to name, third-round showings in Indian Wells, Barcelona, and Madrid, a runner-up finish in Kitzbuhel, and a run to the last 16 of the U.S. Open.
Up first for Thiem in Auckland is Struff, with whom the Austrian played doubles last summer in New York. Struff already has two matches under his belt this year following a decent week in Doha, where he upset fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber before falling to another countryman, Dustin Brown. Thiem may be a little bit rusty after an offseason that included required military service for his nation, but he should be able to dictate the outcome of this one with superior firepower to his opponent.
Pick: Thiem in 3
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(8) Steve Johnson vs. Joao Sousa
Johnson and Sousa will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers at the ATP main-draw level on Monday. They have, however, faced each other on one previous occasion. Johnson prevailed 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 two seasons ago in the final round of Winston-Salem qualifying. The 37th-ranked American enjoyed his best year on tour in 2014 and he got off to a solid start in 2015 by advancing one round in Sydney and bowing out to Kei Nishikori in a competitive two-setter.
Sousa’s breakout came in 2014, but he endured a relative “sophomore slump” last season. The same age as Johnson 25 years old, Sousa endured an especially tough closing stretch. The world No. 51 went 1-7 in his last eight matches dating back to the Metz final. In his first match of the year on a surface that should favor Johnson, this is a tough proposition for Sousa.
Pick: Johnson in 2
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