Cincinnati R1 previews and predictions: Goffin vs. Tsitsipas, Coric vs. Medvedev

Stefanos Tsitsipas will get right back in action following his runner-up performance in Toronto when he takes the court in Cincinnati against David Goffin on Tuesday. The schedule also includes Borna Coric vs. Daniil Medvedev.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (11) David Goffin

Rafael Nadal is predictably and–most would argue–smartly playing it safe by withdrawing from the Western & Southern Open. The other Rogers Cup finalist, however, has far less wear and tear on his body and has decided to show up this week in Cincinnati. After all, Tsitsipas is just 20 years old, having celebrated his birthday this past Sunday in Toronto. That was culmination of an incredible week for the 15th-ranked Greek, who upset four top-10 opponents (Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Kevin Anderson) before succumbing to Nadal 6-2, 7-6(4) in the title match.

Tsitsipas will begin his Cincinnati campaign on Tuesday with a fourth career contest against Goffin, who is trailing the head-to-head series 2-1. After Tsitsipas pulled off a 2-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(4) upset last fall in Belgium, they split their first two 2018 meetings–with Goffin winning on the red clay of Monte-Carlo before Tstisipas scored a straight-set victory two weeks ago in Washington, D.C. Goffin has struggled to the tune of a 2-5 record in his last seven matches dating back to the French Open fourth round, but his opponent has to be fatigued and the 11th seed is still plenty good enough to capitalize on the opportunity.

Pick: Goffin in 2

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Borna Coric vs. (Q) Daniil Medvedev

It will be a rematch of a recent Wimbledon first-rounder when Coric and Medvedev meet again on Tuesday. Expectations for Coric were huge heading into the All-England Club after he upset Roger Federer in the Halle final, but the 21-year-old Croat flamed out right away with a 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-2 loss to Medvedev. Their only other encounter came at the 2017 NextGen ATP Finals in Milan, where Coric got the job done in four sets.

The world No. 21 has not yet recaptured the form that carried him to a semifinal in Indian Wells and a quarterfinal in Miami to go along with his Halle exploits. Since his Wimbledon disappointment, Coric has lost to Laslo Djere in his Gstaad opener and to Marin Cilic in the Toronto third round. Medvedev qualified in Toronto, beat Jack Sock and Felix Auger-Aliassime before succumbing to Alexander Zverev, and also qualified this past weekend in Cincinnati with three-set defeats of Christian Harrison and Yoshihito Nishioka. Coric is far more rested and started to play better last week in Toronto, so he should be able to gain a measure of revenge for his setback in SW19.

Pick: Coric in 2

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