Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be in action on Wednesday as the packed bottom half of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament draw takes the court in Rotterdam. Medvedev is going up against Jeremy Chardy.
(5) Daniil Medvedev vs. Jeremy Chardy
NextGen standout Daniil Medvedev is one of the hottest players on tour so far in 2019. The young Russian has amassed an impressive 11-2 record, and he added fourth title to his resume last week with a win in Sofia. Rotterdam’s No. 5 seed faces veteran Jeremy Chardy on Wednesday as the first round wraps up.
Chardy holds a 1-0 record over Medvedev, but the Russian has improved so significantly in the past year it hardly seems that the win (a straight-set affair at Queen’s Club) would be any kind of predictor in Wednesday’s match. Medvedev is playing lights-out tennis. Except for dropping a set in the second round to Robin Haase, he breezed through the entire Sofia event–hardly breaking a sweat along the way.
Chardy isn’t having a bad season by his standards. The Frenchman had a semifinal showing in Brisbane before falling in Melbourne in the second round to compatriot Ugo Humbert.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 2
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2
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(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Damir Dzumhur
LIke Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the promising young stars of his generation. The Greek broke through in 2018 and then proved his mettle by dispatching Roger Federer in the round of 16 at the Australian Open. He eventually bowed out in the semifinals to Rafael Nadal, but not before generating a great deal of buzz.
The Greek is perhaps feeling some fatigue following his impressive run in Melbourne. He was upset in the quarterfinals in Sofia by Gael Monfils. He’ll have the opportunity to right the ship against Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur, a player he’s had some difficulty with in the past.
Dzumhur has endured a miserable start to the 2019 season, going 0-3 in advance of Wednesday’s match. Though he holds a 2-1 record over Tsitsipas and won their last meeting at the Paris Masters in 2018, Tsitsipas is the prohibitive favorite to advance.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 2
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 2
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