First-round action at Queen’s Club has been extended into Wednesday due to rain, leaving Nick Kyrgios and Adrian Mannarino still to play. The second round will take place on Thursday, with Marin Cilic going up against Diego Schwartzman.
Nick Kyrgios vs. (SE) Adrian Mannarino
Previously 0-6 lifetime in ATP finals, Mannarino finally got over the hump last Sunday by triumphing in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The 30-year-old Frenchman defeated Thiemo de Bakker, Fernando Verdasco, and David Goffin before finishing off a rain-delayed semifinal against Borna Coric on Sunday prior to beating Jordan Thompson 7-6(7), 6-3. Mannarino climbed to 34th in the rankings with that result and finds himself in serious contention for Wimbledon seeding.
Rain has also come into play for the veteran at this week’s Fever-Tree Championships, where his first-rounder against Nick Kyrgios was pushed back from Tuesday to Wednesday. An extra day of rest is undoubtedly a plus thing for Mannarino, but who knows if a draw against Kyrgios is a good thing or bad? The 39th-ranked Australian played only two tournaments on clay, losing right away in Stuttgart to Jan-Lennard Struff and then getting defaulted from his second-round match in Rome against Casper Ruud. Kyrgios even dropped his opening grass-court match to Matteo Berrettini last week in Stuttgart. That being said, Berrettini went on to capture the title and in general Kyrgios is a force on the slick stuff. As long as he serves somewhat consistently, the former world No. 13 should have too much game for an opponent whose run may come to a temporary halt.
Pick: Kyrgios in 2
[polldaddy poll=10344880]
(5) Marin Cilic vs. Diego Schwartzman
Cilic and Schwartzman will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Cilic, with victories at the 2017 clay-court event in Istanbul and at last summer’s Toronto Masters. Schwartzman pulled off a huge upset at the 2017 U.S. Open, prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 during third-round action.
Another upset would not make as many headlines due to the scale of the tournament, but it would be shocking because of the surface. Schwartzman had previously sported a hopeless 1-8 lifetime record on grass until he defeated qualifier Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-3 on Monday. This is a massive step up in competition, as Cilic is a former Wimbledon finalist (2017) and the defending champion at Queen’s Club. The 15th-ranked Croat beat an in-form Christian Garin 6-1, 7-6(5) in his opener to surely restore some confidence on the heels of a prolonged slump. In these conditions, Cilic should completely hit Schwartzman off the court.
Pick: Cilic in 2
[polldaddy poll=10345564]
WWW?
Cilic and NK in two. I missed Nick’s match last week against Berrettini but I must say I was thinking the same thing about how Berrettini did go on to win the title. The guy was playing amazing grass court tennis and I feel like Nick may have simply not expected what was coming and didn’t adapt. I’m hoping that’s what happened because it seemed to me heading into the grass season that he is pretty motivated. Mannarino is good on grass but this matchup should play right into his hands if he’s feeling good out there.
Mrino in 2; Cilic in 2.
Lucky Mannarino withdrew. He wouldve eaten Kyrgios alive.