Kitzbuhel, Gstaad, and Umag previews and predictions

As the American hard-court swing begins in Washington, D.C., the clay-court season continues with a trio of 250-point events in Europe. Following some rare and much-needed rest, Dominic Thiem is back in action to headline the field in Kitzbuhel along with good friend and familiar foe Philipp Kohlschreiber. Feliciano Lopez is the No. 1 seed in Gstaad, while recent Hamburg champion Martin Klizan will hope to make it back-to-back in Umag.

Generali Open

This will not exactly be the duel at Troon, but Thiem and Kohlschreiber feel almost as out of place in Kitzbuhel as Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson did at Royal Troon. No one else even belonged on the same golf course as Stenson and Mickelson at the British Open, where Stenson clobbered everyone not named Mickelson by at least 14 shots and Mickelson was 11 shots clear of third place. Now, back to tennis; Thiem is No. 9 in the world and Kohlschreiber registers at 23rd. No other player in the field is ranked better than 46th (Marcel Granollers). All you really need to know about the Kitzbuhel draw is that Paolo Lorenzi has a first-round bye.

Of the two clear favorites, Kohlschreiber is staring at a tougher draw. The defending champion’s opener will come against talented 20-year-old Karen Khachanov and he could face either Granollers or Lukas Rosol in the last four. In the top half, it is hard to see anyone even taking a set off Thiem during the Austrian’s seemingly inevitable trek to the title match.

Semifinal predictions: Dominic Thiem over Roberto Carballes Baena and Philipp Kohlschreiber over Maximo Gonzalez

Final: Thiem over Kohlschreiber

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Sarasin Swiss Open

In what is arguably the most wide-open tournament of the week, Albert Ramos-Vinolas should have a real chance of capturing back-to-back titles. The red-hot Spaniard had never previously lifted an ATP winner’s trophy until he triumphed this past week in Bastad over fellow lefty countryman Fernando Verdasco. Ramos-Vinolas and Verdasco could collide in the semifinals this time around in Gstaad. On tap for Verdasco right off the bat is a rematch of a contentious third-round thriller in Miami, where Horacio Zeballos–who got in as a lucky loser when Roger Federer withdrew–outlasted him in a third-set tiebreaker. No. 2 seed Gilles Simon also finds himself in the Verdasco-Zeballos quarter of the bracket.

Thomas Bellucci and Guido Pella are the only true clay-court specialists in the top half and they will have every opportunity to reach the semis. That being said, Lopez cannot be discounted. The top-seeded Spaniard is a threat on every surface and he is still going strong at 34 years old and ranked No. 21 in the world. From an entertainment standpoint, keep an eye on an intriguing first-rounder between Juan Monaco and Dustin Brown.

Semifinal predictions: Guido Pella over Thomaz Bellucci and Fernando Verdasco over Albert Ramos-Vinolas

Final: Verdasco over Pella

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Konzum Croatia Open

Klizan and Pablo Cuevas just faced each other in the Hamburg final, and they are on a collision course for another title match in Umag having been placed on opposite sides of the draw. Will anyone be able to stop them? Klizan, of course, is capable of stopping himself. His last 10 match victories have come at the 500-point level (he lifted the Rotterdam trophy in February) and he has picked up no other kind of win since February 5. Will the Slovak be motivated to build on his Hamburg success even at a much smaller tournament in Umag? Klizan has a favorable road through two rounds but could run into either Joao Sousa over Leonard Mayer in the quarterfinals. Potential semifinal opponents are Jeremy Chardy and surprise Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jiri Vesely.

Cuevas could have a tough opener on his hands with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez before possibly meeting Pablo Carreno Busta in the last eight. A proverbial wild card in the top half of the bracket, as always, is Fabio Fognini. The Italian is coming off significant Davis Cup failure (lost the doubles match and the clinching singles rubber to visiting Argentina), so his mental state is once again a question mark.

Semifinal predictions: Pablo Cuevas over Nicolas Almagro and Martin Klizan over Carlos Berlocq

Final: Cuevas over Klizan

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