Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco are set to face each other for a quarterfinal spot at Queen’s Club on Thursday. Second-round action also includes Feliciano Lopez and John Isner.
(1) Andy Murray vs. Fernando Verdasco
Murray and Verdasco will be meeting for the 12th time in their careers when they collide in the second round of the AEGON Championships on Thursday. The head-to-head series is being dominated 10-1 by Murray, but they have squared off only twice since the end of the 2009 campaign. Their most memorable encounter came at Wimbledon in 2013, when the Scot stormed from behind for a 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 victory on his way to the title.
Coming off a clay-court swing in which he captured two titles and reached the semis of the French Open, Murray already has plenty of momentum in advance of Wimbledon. The world No. 3 maintained his fine form and improved his season record to 37-6 with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Yen-Hsun Lu on Tuesday. Verdasco, who advanced one round in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week, opened at Queen’s Club with a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) defeat of Roberto Bautista Agut. Contrary to what their previous grass-court result suggests, this is not the surface on which Verdasco wants to face Murray. Current form, the court, and playing in London are all factors that point toward what should be a relatively routine day at the office for the favorite against the world No. 42.
Pick: Murray in 2
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John Isner vs. (8) Feliciano Lopez
It is fair to say that Isner is one of the toughest players to break regardless of the surface, and that grass generally favors huge servers. But it is indisputable that the slick stuff is Isner’s worst surface. Yes, he beat Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2010 without getting broken a single time in the decider, but for the most part the 6’10” American’s grass-court results have been modest at best. That being said, Isner gained plenty of confidence with hard-court and clay-court success this spring and he opened at Queen’s Club on Tuesday by dismissing countryman Jared Donaldson 7-6(11), 6-4.
The world No. 18 will have to even his head-to-head series against Lopez if he wants to book a spot in the quarterfinals. Lopez has won three of their five previous meetings and he survived their only grass-court showdown 6-7(8), 7-6(6), 7-6(3), 7-5 during third-round action at the All-England Club last summer. The 14th-ranked Spaniard eased past Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-4 in his Queen’s Club opener while blasting 17 aces. Although Isner has played Rafael Nadal tough at times, he has a well-documented history of struggles against left-handed opponents. The surface also favors Lopez, and heavily, so look for the eighth seed to get the job done in two competitive sets.
Pick: Lopez in 2
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