Main-draw action on ATP Tour gets underway for the first time in more than five months when the Western & Southern Open begins on Saturday. Among those in first-round action are Andy Murray, Frances Tiafoe, and Denis Shapovalov.
(WC) Frances Tiafoe vs. (WC) Andy Murray
It will be a battle between two wild-card recipients when Murray and Tiafoe square off in the “Cincinnati” first round on Saturday afternoon. Tiafoe was one of the players who contracted the coronavirus this summer, forcing him out of a team exhibition in Atlanta over July 4 weekend. The 22-year-old American lost to Sam Querrey in straight sets at that event prior to the positive diagnosis. In official matches he is just 2-5 this season and really has not done much since his quarterfinal run at the 2019 Australian Open.
The 2019 Aussie Open was where Murray “retired,” but successful hip surgery has him back on tour. The three-time Grand Slam champion compiled a 2-2 record at the Battle of the Brits exhibition, losing only in tiebreakers for the third set against both Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans. Murray is a two-time Cincinnati and he obviously has good memories from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center having won his first slam title there at the 2012 U.S. Open. The former world No. 1 will likely get too many balls back for an erratic opponent who is short on confidence right now.
Pick: Murray in 2
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(12) Denis Shapovalov vs. Marin Cilic
Shapovalov and Cilic will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers and for the second time this season. Since losing their first encounter on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2018, Shapovalov has won two in a row at Cilic’s expense. The Canadian prevailed 6-4, 6-2 at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters and battled to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory this February in Marseille.
Those setbacks against Shapovalov have coincided with an overall slide in Cilic’s career the past few seasons. This is not the same player who triumphed at the U.S. Open in 2014 and was a staple of the year-end championship in London. The 31-year-old has slipped to 37th in the rankings, 21 spots below the 21-year-old Shapovalov. Look for the youngster to shake off the rust in slightly more effective fashion, allowing him to pick up another win in this head-to-head series.
Pick: Shapovalov in 3
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WWW?
I have Muzza and Shapo.