Sam Querrey and Denis Istomin will battle in the Nottingham championship match on Saturday. Istomin is still in search of his first career ATP title.
Sam Querrey and Denis Istomin will be facing each other for the seventh time in their careers when they collide in the AEGON Open final on Saturday.
The head-to-head series stands at 4-2 in favor of Querrey, but they have split their two previous clay-court encounters. Istomin prevailed 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 six years ago in Eastbourne before Querrey got the job done via a 7-6(4), 6-3 decision at the 2012 Queen’s Club event. Their most recent showdown was an absolute thriller, won by the American 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9) two seasons ago on the hard courts of Washington D.C.
Speaking of tense three-setters, both finalists have survived the brink of defeat en route to this Nottingham title match. After cruising past Nicolas Almagro, Juan Monaco, and Sergiy Stakhovsky, Istomin saved one match point to outlast Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 6-7(8), 7-6(6) on Thursday. He then got a retirement from Marcos Baghdatis just three full games into their semifinal.
Following a first-round bye, Querrey disposed of Santiago Giraldo and Pablo Cuevas then fought off two match points to defeat Gilles Simon 5-7, 7-6(8), 6-4 during quarterfinal action. The world No. 44 also endured a tough test on Friday, as he overcame Alexandr Dolgopolov 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Although he is by no means enjoying a dominant year, Querrey has an edge in current form. He is 14-13 on the season and will climb into the world’s top 30 if he triumphs on Saturday. Istomin is toiling down at 92nd in the rankings and he had been a horrendous 6-14 at the ATP level in 2015 prior to this week.
The Uzbek is seeking his first ATP title, having previously lost finals in 250-point events in New Haven (2010) and San Jose (2012). A more experienced Querrey is 7-7 lifetime in ATP finals. Those factors along with a massive serve (78 aces this week) should see Querrey through in two competitive sets.
Pick: Querrey in 2
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