A jam-packed schedule is on the cards for Houston on Wednesday after the entirety of Tuesday’s slated action was washed out by rain. Fernando Verdasco, Kevin Anderson, Thomaz Bellucci, and Frances Tiafoe are among those taking the court.
Kevin Anderson vs. (5) Fernando Verdasco
Verdasco and Anderson will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they collide in round one of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship on Wednesday. Although the head-to-head series is all tied up at two wins apiece, Verdasco has taken each of their previous clay-court encounters. The Spaniard prevailed 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 at the 2011 Estoril event before getting the job done 6-4, 6-4 one season late in Barcelona. Anderson most recently defeated Verdasco 6-3, 7-6(6) on the grass courts of Nottingham in 2016.
Anderson missed much of the 2016 campaign with various injuries and he was also sidelined from the Australian summer earlier this season. The 6’8” South African is struggling down at No. 67 in the world due to both inactivity and lackluster results. Anderson at least managed to reach the second round in both Indian Wells (lost to Steve Johnson) and Miami (lost to Kei Nishikori) last month. Verdasco is a respectable 10-7 this year with a semifinal showing in Doha, a runner-up finish in Dubai, and third-round performances in Indian Wells and Miami. Due to both current form and the surface, Houston’s fifth seed should have an edge in this one.
Pick: Verdasco in 2
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(8) Thomaz Bellucci vs. Frances Tiafoe
Tiafoe is really starting to make a name for himself in 2017 and he registers just three spots off his career-high ranking of No. 86, which he achieved in early March. The 19-year-old American lost an entertaining three-setter again Juan Martin Del Potro in Acapulco and qualified in Miami before reaching the second round and losing to eventual champion Roger Federer in a competitive 7-6(2), 6-3 setback. That being said, Tiafoe is just 2-5 at the ATP level this year and a disappointing 4-17 for his career.
An opening date with Bellucci on Wednesday will not be easy–especially not on this surface. Their only previous showdown came two years ago on the hard courts of Winston-Salem, where Bellucci outlasted the teenager 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2). The 65th-ranked Brazilian is a decent 6-7 at the ATP level in 2017 and he got two clay-court matches under his belt during Brazil’s victorious Davis Cup tie against Ecuador last week. On his preferred red clay, Bellucci should be able to wear down Tiafoe in a hard-hitting baseline battle.
Pick: Bellucci in 3
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Tiafoe and Nando in three