As the hard-court buildup to the U.S. Open begins, the post-Wimbledon clay-court swing continues. It’s a busy week in Atlanta, Hamburg, and Gstaad, where John Isner, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Roberto Bautista Agut are among those in action. Isner, who is coming off a fourth Newport title, is bidding for a sixth triumph in Atlanta. Thiem and Zverev are both taking the court at the 500-point tournament in Hamburg.
Hamburg European Open
Where: Hamburg, Germany
Surface: Clay
Prize money: 1,855,490 Euros
Points: 500
Top seed: Dominic Thiem
Defending champion: Nikoloz Basilashvili
Draw analysis: Thiem is back on his clay-court stomping grounds following a Wimbledon first-round loss to Sam Querrey, but it is not entirely good news for the fourth-ranked Austrian. Pablo Cuevas, his first-round opponent, is also a clay-court wizard and tested Thiem in a tight three-setter at Roland Garros this spring. Either Thiem or Cuevas will face either Philipp Kohlschreiber or Marton Fucsovics in the last 16. The top half of the Hamburg bracket also includes Fabio Fognini, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Christian Garin.
At the opposite end of the draw, Zverev’s path to the final is similarly problematic. It begins against Nicolas Jarry, who just captured his first career title in Bastad. Marco Cecchinato is a potential second-round foe for Zverev and Rio de Janeiro champion Laslo Djere is a possible quarterfinal opponent. With defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili slumping, Hugo Dellien or Juan Ignacio Londero could capitalize as unseeded threats.
First-round upset alert: (Q) Hugo Dellien vs. (4) Nikoloz Basilashvili. Basilashvili has the pressure of defending 500 points from last year’s surprising title and he is not playing the kind of tennis that would inspire any confidence in that effort. The Georgian is saddled with a losing record this season (15-16) and he is 1-5 in his last six matches. Dellien is in the midst of a breakout year on tour and maintained his fine form by successfully qualifying for the Hamburg main draw over the weekend. With two matches already under his belt, the Bolivian could be especially dangerous in round one.
Hot: Jan-Lennard Struff, Hugo Dellien, Juan Ignacio Londero, Salvatore Caruso
Cold: Alexander Zverev, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Pablo Carreno Busta
Quarterfinal predictions: Dominic Thiem over Christian Garin, Jan-Lennard Struff over Fabio Fognini, Benoit Paire over Hugo Dellien, and Marco Cecchinato over Laslo Djere
Semifinals: Thiem over Struff and Cecchinato over Paire
Final: Thiem over Cecchinato
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Sarasin Swiss Open
Where: Gstaad, Switzerland
Surface: Clay
Prize money: 524,340 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Roberto Bautista Agut
2018 champion: Matteo Berrettini (not playing)
Draw analysis: Bautista Agut is one of the few Spaniards who doesn’t love playing on clay. He just made a brilliant run to the Wimbledon semifinals and is now making the transition back to clay, where life may not be easy in Gstaad. Compatriot Jaume Munar could be a tough second-round adversary and Joao Sousa also lurks in the top quarter of the bracket. In-form competitors Corentin Moutet and Thomas Fabbiano could also do some damage in the top half.
The bottom half is especially wide open, as second-seeded Fernando Verdasco isn’t exactly on fire and No. 4 seed Dusan Lajovic is making a quick turnaround on the heels of his first career title in Umag. Spaniards Roberto Carballes Baena and Albert Ramos-Vinolas are among those who could take advantage.
First-round upset alert: (Q) Dennis Novak over (7) Pablo Andujar. Novak successfully qualified at Wimbledon and made the transition from grass to clay by doing the same in Gstaad with a pair of straight-set beatdowns. Adujar is obviously far more established at the ATP main-draw level, but he began this portion of the clay-court swing with a 6-1, 7-5 loss to Leonardo Mayer in the Umag first round.
Hot: Roberto Bautista Agut, Dusan Lajovic, Lorenzo Sonego, Joao Sousa, Corentin Moutet, Thomas Fabbiano
Cold: Henri Laaksonen, Paolo Lorenzi, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, Ernests Gulbis, Tommy Robredo
Semifinal predictions: Thomas Fabbiano over Roberto Bautista Agut and Albert Ramos-Vinolas over Dennis Novak
Final: Fabbiano over Ramos-Vinolas
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BB&T Atlanta Open
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $694,995
Points: 250
Top seed: John Isner
Defending champion: John Isner
Draw analysis: Isner is a laughable 31-4 lifetime in Atlanta with five titles, three runner-ups, and one semifinal finish in nine lifetime appearances. The only other event at which the 6’10’’ American comes close in Newport, where he just won for the fourth time on Sunday. Thus Isner heads back to his favorite tournament feeling good about his health and his game. But the draw is not easy, as the man he beat in the Newport final—Alexander Bublik—could be his first opponent in Atlanta. If it’s not Bublik it will be 6’11’’ Reilly Opelka, who upset Isner earlier this season in Australia and New York while playing seven tiebreakers in seven sets. Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, and Dan Evans could also be factors in the top half of the bracket.
Jack Sock, who has not played since the Australian Open, is making his comeback from injury and finds himself in a difficult bottom quarter with Taylor Fritz, Ugo Humbert, and Grigor Dimitrov. Whoever emerges from that section could run into either Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Jordan Thompson, or Alexei Popyrin in the semifinals. Dimitrov, Popyrin, Miomir Kecmanovic, and qualifier Soonwoo Kwon are unseeded floaters to keep an eye on in the bottom half.
First-round upset alert: Tennys Sandgren over (6) Radu Albot. Albot is probably the favorite; after all, he is seeded and leads the head-to-head series 3-0—including a recent 7-6(3), 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-1 victory in round one of the French Open. Although Sandgren is arguably better on clay than he is on hard courts, he is coming off an encouraging stretch on his worst surface: grass. The American qualified in Eastbourne, made a stunning run to the Wimbledon fourth round, and advanced to the Newport quarterfinals this past week. Albot is 1-4 in his last five matches dating back to round two of the French Open.
Hot: John Isner, Taylor Fritz, Jordan Thompson, Ugo Humbert, Alexei Popyrin, Tennys Sandgren, Alexander Bublik
Cold: Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Sock, Bernard Tomic
Quarterfinal predictions: John Isner over Dan Evans, Alex de Minaur over Frances Tiafoe, Alexei Popyrin over Jordan Thompson, and Ugo Humbert over Grigor Dimitrov
Semifinal predictions: Isner over de Minaur and Humbert over Popyrin
Final: Isner over Humbert
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Wow very bold prediction for Hamburg, I don’t think cecchinato’s resurgence will happen in Hamburg. I think it will be either thiem/paire or thiem/Basilashvili. We can maybe see some surprises, like Jarry or Struff, or maybe even Garin and Sascha, but I can’t see a winner outside thiem if he plays like he did at RG. Probably RBA, lajovic or verdasco in Gstaad and Fritz or Isner in Atlanta.