Houston and Casablanca previews and predictions

Janko Tipsarevic resurfaced in Miami, but only for doubles with Novak Djokovic. Tipsarevic’s singles comeback will officially begin this week in Houston, where he is part of a strong 250-point field that also features John Isner, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, and Lleyton Hewitt. The clay-court swing is underway on the other side of the pond, as well, with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Martin Klizan leading the way in Casablanca.

U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship

Where: Houston, TX
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: $488,225
Points: 250

Top seed: Feliciano Lopez
Defending champion: Fernando Verdasco

Draw analysis: The U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship boasts a particularly strong field by the standards of 250-point events in the United States. Now that Isner is back in the top 20, all four players with first-round byes in Houston enjoy such a ranking distinction. Isner and Lopez are on a collision course for the semifinals, while Roberto Bautista Agut and Kevin Anderson find themselves in the bottom half of the bracket.

A well-balanced draw may be slightly tougher in the top half, where Isner could meet Verdasco in the quarterfinals. Lopez is likely to open with Victor Estrella Burgos in a section that also includes in-form Americans Donald Young and Steve Johnson. The other side is not top-heavy, but it is deep. Bautista Agut awaits the Jack Sock vs. Joao Souza winner and Anderson can expect Federico Delbonis in the second round. Meanwhile, Tipsarevic will kick off his campaign against a qualifier.

First-round upset alert: Marinko Matosevic over (8) Sam Querrey. This upset probably shouldn’t happen, but Querrey is involved in a lot of matches that should not end the way they do. The 6’6’’ American knows moderately well how to get around on the slow stuff, whereas Matosevic is borderline hopeless in that department. If Querrey serves well and can keep his wits about him in pressure moments, he should advance. But that’s a big “if.”

Hot: John Isner, Donald Young, Jack Sock, Joao Souza

Cold: Go Soeda, Lleyton Hewitt, Janko Tipsarevic

Semifinal predictions: John Isner over Feliciano Lopez and Roberto Bautista Agut over Kevin Anderson

Final: Isner over Bautista Agut

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Grand Prix Hassan II

Where: Casablanca, Morocco
Surface: Clay
Prize money: 439,405 Euros
Points: 250

Top seed: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
Defending champion: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

Draw analysis: The spring clay-court season wastes little time shifting into high gear, as the Monte-Carlo Masters is one week away. That means the relatively lower-ranked players must strike when the opportunity for a title is hot. Such is the case at the Grand Prix Hassan II, where Garcia-Lopez is the only man in the top 40. But by no means will the Spaniard be handed a back-to-back Casablanca title on a silver platter. His path to the final or title could include respectable clay-court players Robin Haase, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Diego Schwartzman.

Combine a vulnerable crop of seeds with an under-ranked Nicolas Almagro and the result could be an unseeded finalist from the bottom half of the bracket. Almagro, who missed the second half of 2014 due to a foot injury, is fighting back into form and should benefit from getting to face a qualifier in round one. Fellow Germans Dustin Brown and Jan-Lennard Struff could pose additional threats as unseeded floaters. Klizan awaits either Brown or Andrey Kuznetsov in the last 16.

First-round upset alert: Albert Ramos-Vinolas over (7) Mikhail Kukushkin. Kukushkin’s flat ball-striking is more conducive to hard courts, on which he slumped after finishing runner-up in Sydney. There is no real reason to think he can suddenly get back on track on clay—especially not against a slow-court specialist in Ramos-Vinolas. The Spaniard owns seven ATP-level match victories in 2015, including two in Indian Wells.

Hot: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Andreas Haider-Maurer, Diego Schwartzman

Cold: Gael Monfils, Benoit Paire, Marcel Granollers

Semifinal predictions: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez over Diego Schwartzman, and Nicolas Almagro over Pablo Andujar

Final: Almagro over Garcia-Lopez

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Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!