Frances Tiafoe will try to build on a productive week in Toronto when he opens in Cincinnati against Ugo Humbert on Tuesday. Another intriguing first-round affair pits Aslan Karatsev against Marin Cilic.
(WC) Frances Tiafoe vs. Ugo Humbert
Humbert and Tiafoe will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday afternoon. They have split their two previous encounters; Tiafoe prevailed in four abbreviated sets at the 2019 NextGen ATP Finals before Humbert got the job done 6-1, 6-2 last year in Delray Beach right before the Covid-19 pandemic forced tennis into a three-month hiatus.
Both guys are back in gear in 2021 and have compiled winning records heading into Cincinnati. Humbert’s summer includes a title on the grass courts of Halle and a quarterfinal run at the Tokyo Olympics. Tiafoe advanced to the Toronto third round as a qualifier, but the 23-year-old American has been wildly up and down of late–and when Tiafoe is cold, he is really cold. Six of his last seven losses have come in straight sets. An in-form Humbert is the far more reliable player at the moment.
Pick: Humbert in 2
Aslan Karatsev vs. Marin Cilic
Karatsev did well to win a silver medal in Tokyo with fellow Russian Elena Vesnina, but it’s safe to say the honeymoon that was his early-season hot streak is over. The world No. 24 has not won multiple matches at any tournament since Rome and he is 3-7 in his last 10 matches overall.
Up first for Karatsev on Tuesday is a first-ever meeting with Cilic, who has trended in the right direction this summer. The 39th-ranked Croat was pretty much hopeless last year and earlier in 2021, but he finally has some momentum behind him. Cilic has won his opening match in six consecutive events and in eight of his last nine, a stretch that includes a title on the grass of Stuttgart. A former Cincinnati champion (2016), Cilic has every reason to take advantage of a struggling opponent.
Pick: Cilic in 3
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