Rio de Janeiro, Delray Beach, and Marseille previews and predictions

We’ve reached the halfway point in February, with six tournaments down and six more to go. It’s only getting better, starting with a another 500-point event in Rio de Janeiro, Juan Martin Del Potro’s return in Delray Beach, and a Marseille field that features Stefanos Tsitsipas, Gael Monfils, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Dominic Thiem leads the way in Rio, while Del Potro is joined in Delray by John Isner and Nick Kyrgios.

Rio Open

Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Surface: Clay
Points: 500
Prize money: $1,786,690

Top seed: Dominic Thiem
Defending champion: Diego Schwartzman

Draw analysis: Thiem is making a traditionally slow start to another season, but this time around it looks like not even clay will cure whatever ails him. The eighth-ranked Austrian suited up this past week on the red clay of Buenos Aires and got upset by Argentina’s own Diego Schwartzman in the semifinals. Now Thiem turns to Rio, where he is the top seed and enjoys the benefit of a friendly draw in which he will likely coast into the quarters before facing either Joao Sousa or Guido Pella. Marco Cecchinato is a potential semifinal foe and the Italian also has a favorable path in a weak top half.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Fabio Fognini could get a rematch with Jaume Munar in the last eight. They just went head-to-head in Buenos Aires, where Fognini—also seeded second—dropped his opener to the Spaniard 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Perhaps the most intriguing first-round contest pits Schwartzman against Pablo Cuevas.

First-round upset alert: Roberto Carballes Baena over (8) Nicolas Jarry. Jarry was the breakout star of 2018 Golden Swing, but things aren’t going his way this time around. The Chilean is coming off consecutive first-round losses in Cordoba and Buenos Aires; plus he does not appear to be 100 percent. Carballes Baena reached the Buenos Aires quarterfinals and he also captured a clay-court title last February in Quito.

Hot: Marco Cecchinato, Diego Schwartzman, Guido Pella

Cold: Dominic Thiem, Thiago Monteiro, Federico Delbonis, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Pablo Cuevas

Quarterfinal predictions: Dominic Thiem over Joao Sousa, Marco Cecchinato over Roberto Carballes Baena, Pablo Cuevas over Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Fabio Fognini over Jaume Munar

Semifinals: Thiem over Cecchinato and Fognini over Cuevas

Final: Fognini over Thiem

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Delray Beach Open

Where: Delray Beach, Florida
Surface: Hard
Points: 250
Prize money: $582,550

Top seed: Juan Martin Del Potro
Defending champion: Frances Tiafoe

Draw analysis: Del Potro will be back in action for the first time since Shanghai last October when he goes up against another injury-plagued opponent in Yoshihito Nishioka on Tuesday night. Still ranked an impressive fourth in the world, the Argentine would then meet either Tennys Sandgren or Reilly Opelka before potentially colliding with Taylor Fritz or Mackenzie McDonald. With Del Potro rusty and perhaps not 100 percent, just about all of those guys would be capable of springing an upset. Elsewhere in the top half of the bracket, intriguing first-rounders include Kyrgios vs. fellow Australian John Millman and Ivo Karlovic vs. Radu Albot in a rematch of this past week’s New York opening round.

Isner, coming off a three-tiebreaker loss to Opelka in the New York semis, has never done much in Delray Beach but the draw sets up nicely for him this week. Adrian Mannarino, Isner’s nearest seed, is a hopeless 0-6 so far in 2019. No one in the bottom quarter of the bracket other than Brayden Schnur is playing well right now, so Isner should be able to take care of business. The 6’10’’ American could then run into either Andreas Seppi or defending champion Frances Tiafoe on semifinal Saturday.

First-round upset alert: (SE) Brayden Schnur over (8) Adrian Mannarino. Mannarino has been an absolute disaster in 2019, with six consecutive immediate losses (including one at a Challenger) for a 0-6 record. Schnur, on the other hand, just made an improbable run to the New York title match. The former University of North Carolina standout wields a big serve and will be able to dictate play against the Frenchman.

Hot: Frances Tiafoe, John Millman, Andreas Seppi, Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Mackenzie McDonald, Jason Jung, Brayden Schnur

Cold: Juan Martin Del Potro, Steve Johnson, Adrian Mannarino, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, Feliciano Lopez

Semifinal predictions: Tennys Sandgren over John Millman and Andreas Seppi over John Isner

Final: Seppi over Sandgren

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Open 13

Where: Marseille, France
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 250
Prize money: 668,485 Euros

Top seed: Stefanos Tsitsipas
2018 champion: Karen Khachanov (not playing)

Draw analysis: Last year’s Marseille field was severely depleted (in part due to injuries for Kyrgios and David Goffin), but the French fans have to be pleased with what the 2019 event has to offer. Goffin is good to go, Monfils is taking his talents from Rio—where he played last season—back to his native land, and a healthy, in-form Tsonga figures to be in the mix for a fourth career title at this tournament. Tsonga’s draw is not easy, as the Frenchman opens with Andrey Rublev before possibly running into Jeremy Chardy in round two and Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals. Potential semifinal opponents are Borna Coric, Fernando Verdasco, and Ernests Gulbis. Coric may be kicking off his week against Gulbis following a first-round bye.

Monfils has an easier draw in a softer top half, which is just what the doctor ordered given that he is making a quick turnaround from Rotterdam. The eighth-seeded Frenchman should be able to plays his way into a quarterfinal against Tsitsipas, whom he defeated earlier this month in Montpellier. Goffin, meanwhile, may face a French-filled path to the semis in the form of Benoit Paire and No. 6 seed Gilles Simon.

First-round upset alert: Matteo Berrettini over (8) Jeremy Chardy. Chardy has played basically every tournament imaginable this season and he has a decent six wins to show for it—but only one over anyone in the top 50 and none against a top-30 opponent. The Frenchman should get the job done at home on a favorable surface, but it won’t be easy. Berrettini recently advanced to a semifinal on the indoor hard courts of Sofia.

Hot: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Borna Coric, Gael Monfils, Jeremy Chardy, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ugo Humbert

Cold: David Goffin, Benoit Paire, Andrey Rublev, Jiri Vesely, Hyeon Chung

Semifinal predictions: Gilles Simon over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga over Borna Coric

Final: Tsonga over Simon

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