Finals previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Querrey, de Minaur vs. Sonego

Daniil Medvedev and Sam Querrey will square off for the Mallorca title on Saturday. It is also finals day in Eastbourne, where the other 250 grass-court tournament comes down to Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Sonego.

Mallorca Championships: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs. Sam Querrey

Both Medvedev and Querrey are happy to have seen the clay-court season come and go. Querrey is especially thrilled to be on grass, which has always been his favorite surface. After being a complete non-factor on tour through the first five months of 2021, the 33-year-old American reached the Stuttgart semifinals, lost to eventual champion Ugo Humbert in a third-set tiebreaker in Halle, and booked a spot in Saturday’s Mallorca final by beating Roberto Carballes Baena, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Adrian Mannarino.

Medvedev is at his best on hard courts, but grass is at least far better for his game than clay. The second-ranked Russian got a bad draw in Halle and lost right away to Jan-Lennard Struff, but he has found his form in Mallorca with defeats of Corentin Moutet, Casper Ruud, and Pablo Carreno Busta. When Medvedev is serving well, he can be almost as unbreakable his Querrey. With a far superior all-court game and defensive skills, the top seed should be able to break down his opponent in the pressure-packed moments.

Pick: Medvedev in 3

Viking International: (3) Lorenzo Sonego vs. (2) Alex de Minaur

De Minaur and Sonego will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for the Eastbourne title on Saturday. Their only previous encounter came last fall on the indoor hard courts of the Paris Masters, where de Minaur got the job done 6-3, 7-5. This one should be more competitive, as grass often levels the playing field of many matchups. It does for Sonego, who finished runner-up on the lawn of Antalya in 2019. The 27th-ranked Italian has been in stellar form this year, with a fourth-round showing in Miami, a title in Cagliari, and a semifinal run in Rome.

So far this week Sonego has defeated John Millman, Alexander Bublik, and Max Purcell while dropping just one set to Purcell in the process. De Minaur punched his ticket to the final with straight-set victories over Liam Broady, Vasek Pospisil, and Soonwoo Kwon. The 18th-ranked Aussie is 4-4 lifetime in ATP title matches, so he has plenty of experience on this stage. De Minaur’s mental toughness and slightly superior return game will likely be the difference at the end of a high-quality encounter.

Pick: de Minaur in 3