Memphis will have a distinct American flavor from start to finish, and that is certainly going to be the case on Monday. A pair of all-American showdowns are featuring Ryan Harrison, Frances Tiafoe, Denis Kudla, and Rajeev Ram.
Ryan Harrison vs. (WC) Frances Tiafoe
Harrison and Tiafoe will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the first time at the main-draw level when they square off in round one of the Memphis Open on Monday. The two Americans previously faced each other in Winston-Salem qualifying last summer, when Tiafoe prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Both players are staying at home in the United States on indoor hard courts but making a jump from the Challenger circuit to the ATP Tour. Harrison lost in the second round of the Dallas Challenger this past weekend to Tim Smyczek, while Tiafoe upset top-seeded Sam Groth in the opening round before falling to Tatsuma Ito in the quarterfinals. Although he qualified for the Australian Open, Harrison lost in round one there and did the same at the Maui Challenger. Up to No. 181 in the world at 18 years old, Tiafoe enjoyed a decent quarterfinal finish in Maui. For the moment, these countrymen appear to be going in opposite directions.
Pick: Tiafoe in 3
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Rajeev Ram vs. (5) Denis Kudla
Ram and Kudla are also facing each other for the second time in their careers after a previous qualifying showdown. They went head-to-head in an attempt to get into the Montreal main draw in 2013, when Kudla scored a 7-6(7), 6-4 victory. Kudla has two ATP-level wins to his credit this season, having reached the second rounds in Brisbane and at the Aussie Open. The 23-year-old American is up to 62nd in the world, a ranking that bagged him the No. 5 seed in Memphis.
In what can only be deemed a curious decision, Ram played this past week on the clay courts of Quito. The move paid off, however, as the 31-year-old picked up the first ATP-level win of his career on that surface. He almost reached the quarters but squandered a 5-3 lead in the third set against Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Armed with confidence and now back on a much favorable surface for his game, Ram should have a slight edge in this one.
Pick: Ram in 3
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who ya got?
Dang it had no clue ram was up 5-3 in the third against ARV. Anyways I’ll take ram in three over kudla and tiafoe in three as well.
Fresh from altitude training in Quito, I’ll take Ram in 3.
Tiafoe in 3 – agree with Ricky.
Now that Kudla has won, I’ll take Kudla!
huge pick!
Really bummed out that tennis channel isn’t showing Memphis and is showing squash. That Harrison vs tiafoe match looks epic.
was awesome!!