The Mifel Open is not a part of the official U.S. Open Series, but the Mexican-based tournament does begin the summer hard-court swing. This stretch of tennis also includes Atlanta, Washington, D.C., San Jose, the Rogers Cup, Cincinnati, and Winston-Salem (plus the Olympics are next week, as well).
For now, we won’t get caught looking ahead on what is a busy summer schedule. For now it’s all about Los Cabos, where in-form lefty Cameron Norrie is the top seed ahead of Americans John Isner, Taylor Fritz, and Sam Querrey.
Mifel Open
Where: Los Cabos, Mexico
Surface: Hard
Points: 250
Prize Money: $598, 545
Top seed: Cameron Norrie
2019 champion: Diego Schwartzman (not playing)
Draw analysis: Norrie may be a somewhat surprising No. 1 seed, but to say it is well-deserved would be a gross understatement. The 25-year-old is up to No. 30 in the world and he is 15th in the race to Turin. He has reached three finals (Estoril, Turin, and Queen’s Club) to go along with a trio of third-round Grand Slam performances. Norrie should not have any trouble reaching the Los Cabos quarterfinals or even the semis, although Mackenzie McDonald could present a relatively tough test in the last eight. Fritz, who has played doubles with Norrie in the past, is a likely semifinal opponent for the Brit.
A slightly deeper bottom half of the bracket includes Isner, Querrey, and Newport semifinalist Jordan Thompson. Up first for Thompson is Ivo Karlovic, who won a match last week in Newport at 42 years old. The winner of a first-round showdown between Andreas Seppi and Alex Bolt may be able to do some damage in Los Cabos. A matchup featuring former college stars Brandon Nakashima and J.J. Wolf is also one to watch.
Quarterfinal predictions: Cameron Norrie over Mackenzie McDonald, Taylor Fritz over Yasutaka Uchiyama, Jordan Thompson over Brandon Nakashima, and John Isner over Alex Bolt
Semifinals: Norrie over Fritz and Thompson over Isner
Final: Norrie over Thompson
who ya got?
Isner. The altitude will suit his game .
It is what it is.
I’m backing A. Bolt, for obvious reasons…;)
You just like his name .With a name like that, he’d better have a huge serve .
A Bolt is 28! I fear his bolt may be shot.
And talking of names, Big Al you play Jenson Brooksby and I play Seyboth-Wild. A James Bond villain if ever I heard one.
Pronounced Zeibitch-villzh
Yeah perfect evil role for him
Im not sure if Brooksby is a James Bond though–could be-also reminds me of a character from a period American drama eg Little House on the Prairie , but Ive a vivid imagination
He’s got that wholesome look hasn’t he? I can imagine him scything wheatfields, rolling bales of hay, wrestling cattle, shooting racoon etc etc …;)
Never heard of him before this week..
A character from the Waltons—doing all that farming stuff, and also driving around in one of those old cars that backfired, with the hat, goggles and gloves …
Ive a vivid imagination
Another player Im rooting for is Wolf …