Dominic Thiem continues his campaign in Hamburg against Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday, while Richard Gasquet and Jeremy Chardy clash in all-French encounter. Spots in the quarterfinals of this 500-point event are at stake.
(1) Dominic Thiem vs. Marton Fucsovics
World No. 4 Dominic Thiem has managed to position himself near the top of the best clay courters. Though he still regularly falls to Rafael Nadal in important matches on the dirt, he has an edge on everyone else. In Hamburg, as the lengthy clay season comes to a close, the No. 1 seed is the prohibitive favorite for the title. Next in his path is the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.
Fucsovics has had a few good tournaments in 2019, though his record is an even 18-18. The bright spot was a showing in the final in Sofia, which he lost to Daniil Medvedev. He prefers to play on hardcourts, and has enjoyed his best success there, but he reached the quarters in Munich this year, so he certainly knows what to do on the dirt.
This should be another relatively comfortable win for Thiem. He’s well-rested and playing on his favorite surface.
Cheryl pick: Thiem in 2
Ricky pick: Thiem in 2
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Richard Gasquet vs. Jeremy Chardy
This will be 8th meeting between the two veteran Frenchmen. Richard Gasquet, once considered the future of tennis in France, never quite realized the degree of success that his country expected of him, but he managed to make a solid career for himself. Contemporary Jeremy Chardy didn’t struggle under the weight of expectation that his compatriot did, but he also managed to attain a career-high ranking of No. 25 in the world and won the Stuttgart title back in 2009.
Gasquet holds a definitive edge in the head-to-head at 5-2, but Chardy snagged a clay court win over his countryman in 2019. Gasquet has only been back from groin surgery since May. He had a nice semifinal showing on grass in s’Hertogenbosch, but he hasn’t made much noise on clay since his return. He defeated qualifier Sumit Nagal in the first round this week, but Chardy is going to be a much more difficult task.
Given Gasquet’s short season and his difficulty on clay, the edge in this one will have to go to Chardy.
Cheryl pick: Chardy in 3
Ricky pick: Chardy in 3
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