It will be an all-American affair when Sam Querrey and Bjorn Fratangelo face each other in the Houston first round on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Janko Tipsarevic is continuing his comeback against another American in Tennys Sandgren.
(8) Sam Querrey vs. (WC) Bjorn Fratangelo
Querrey and Fratangelo will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they clash in round one of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship on Tuesday. The head-to-head series is tied at one win apiece, with Frantangelo prevailing 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 at the 2016 French Open and Querrey getting the job done 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 on the hard courts of Washington, D.C. a few months later.
As those results suggest, Fratangelo is more adept on the slow stuff whereas Querrey prefers faster surfaces such as hard courts and grass. Unfortunately for Houston’s No. 8 seed, he has struggled in all conditions of late while slumping to No. 71 in the rankings. Frantangelo has not been great, either, but he at least managed to qualify at the Indian Wells Masters and reach the second round before falling to Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 6-2. Based on both current form and the surface, this is a good upset opportunity for the world No. 127.
Pick: Fratangelo in 3
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(WC) Janko Tipsarevic vs. Tennys Sandgren
At 34 years old and following all kinds of injuries and surgeries, Tipsarevic is somehow still active on the ATP Tour. The former world No. 8 missed all of 2014, most of 2015, and all of 2018 while playing occasionally in Challengers and ATP events in 2016 and 2017. He is back again in 2019, with one Challenger quarterfinal result and a second-round showing in Miami (beat Bradley Klahn, lost to Roberto Bautista Agut) to his credit.
Up first for Tipsarevic in Houston on Tuesday is Sandgren, whom he has predictably never faced. The 81st-ranked American has been inconsistent since last year’s Australian Open quarterfinal run, but he captured his first-ever ATP title earlier this season in Auckland and clay is arguably his best surface. Tipsarevic is rusty both in general and on clay, so Sandgren should cruise.
Pick: Sandgren in 2
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Querry in 2; Sandgren in 2.