Finals previews and predictions: Edmund vs. Andujar, Johnson vs. Sandgren

A pair of 250-point titles will be up for grabs on Sunday in Marrakech and Houston. The Marrakech festivities feature Kyle Edmund and Pablo Andujar, while an all-American affair between Steve Johnson and Tennys Sandgren in set for the red clay of Houston.

Marrakech: (PR) Pablo Andujar vs. (2) Kyle Edmund

Edmund and Andujar will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for the Grand Prix Hassan II title on Sunday. Their only previous encounter came during 2016 Beijing qualifying, with Edmund getting the job done 6-3, 6-2. The 23-year-old Brit has only climbed since then, currently registering at No. 26 in the world. His true breakout came earlier this season at the Australian Open, where he made a semifinal run after outlasting Kevin Anderson right off the bat in a five-setter and upsetting Grigor Dimitrov in the quarters.

Andujar got into the Marrakech main draw by using a protected ranking. Due to injury-induced inactivity, the 32-year-old Spaniard is toiling away down at 355th in the world. His 2018 comeback is starting to gain serious steam, as this week’s result was preceded by a Challenger triumph on the clay courts of Alicante. Andujar has maintained his sudden momentum by ousting Ilya Ivashka, Andrea Arnaboldi, Alexey Vatutin, and Joao Sousa, while Edmund has taken out Radu Albot, Malek Jaziri, and Richard Gasquet. The second seed has not dropped a set or even been pushed to a tiebreaker, so he should have an edge against an opponent who may be running on fumes.

Pick: Edmund in 3

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Houston: (6) Steve Johnson vs. (8) Tennys Sandgren

Johnson has captured only two ATP titles in his career, but one has come at none other than the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship–last year, in fact. The 28-year-old American’s title defense is alive and well heading into Sunday’s final following defeats of Ernesto Escobedo, Frances Tiafoe, John Isner, and Taylor Fritz. It is a much-needed result for Johnson, who is struggling down at No. 51 in the rankings and had been just 6-8 in 2018 prior to his arrival in Houston.

Standing in Johnson’s way of the title is Sandgren, a first-time ATP finalist. But it is safe to say that this run has not come out of nowhere for the 56th-ranked American, who went all the way to the Aussie Open quarterfinals a few months ago. Sandgren had slumped by those standards since leaving Melbourne, but he owns 10 ATP-level match victories this season following Houston wins over Blaz Kavcic, Nicolas Kicker, Guido Pella, and Ivo Karlovic. Based on Johnson’s experience–at this event, specifically–he may have a slight edge in the title tilt.

Pick: Johnson in 3

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