Newport R1 previews and picks: Isner vs. Harrison, Mannarino vs. Blake

Familiar foes John Isner and Ryan Harrison are set for an all-American clash on Monday in Newport. Adrian Mannarino and James Blake are also in action.

Ryan Harrison vs. (2) John Isner

Harrison and Isner will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers and for the fourth time this season when they clash in round one of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Monday afternoon. Isner leads the head-to-head series 4-1 after staging the first comeback from two sets down of his life en route to a 5-7, 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-1, 8-6 French Open victory over his younger countryman. Harrison won their first 2013 meeting 6-4, 6-4 in Sydney before Isner prevailed 7-6(4), 6-4 in the Houston opening round. The two Americans have faced each other once on grass, with Isner scoring a 7-6(4), 6-3 win in the semifinals of this same Newport event two year ago.

Isner has plenty of points from the 2012 U.S. Open Series keeping him at No. 19 in the world, but he is a modest 16-15 for the season. This week’s No. 2 seed is coming off a second-round retirement at Wimbledon, where a sudden knee problem forced him out. Harrison lost his opener at the All-England Club to Jeremy Chardy, dropping him to a horrendous 6-15 for the year. The world No. 110, though, played relatively well at Roland Garros and in Eastbourne. This may all come down to Isner’s health. He will have to be 100 percent in order to fend off his countryman’s upset bid, and if he is not Harrison could capitalize.

Pick: Harrison in 3

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Adrian Mannarino vs. James Blake

The immediate beneficiary of Isner’s physical problems was Mannarino, who got the second-round retirement before reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon. That propelled the Frenchman from No. 111 in the world to 75th. In fact, Mannarino had not won a single ATP-level match in 2013 prior to the season’s third Grand Slam. He had previously fallen in the Nottingham Challenger quarterfinals and in the Queen’s Club first round.

Up next for Mannarino on Monday is Blake, whom he has never faced. Blake destroyed Thiemo De Bakker in his Wimbledon opener before succumbing to Bernard Tomic. The 33-year-old American registers at 85th in the rankings and he is a modest 4-7 at the ATP level for the season. Blake remains dangerous because of his go-for-broke style and his forehand can still be one of the biggest in the game. Mannarino’s recent sample size is too small to expect that his Wimbledon performance is the rule rather than an aberration, so he may come back to Earth against an opponent who is always at his best on U.S. soil.

Pick: Blake in 3

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