A week of 250-point events is on tap in the immediate aftermath of the Asian swing. Interestingly, there are three World Tour Finals hopefuls in action—one at each of the three tournaments. Gael Monfils is in good position for a London berth, Moscow top seed Roberto Bautista Agut surged into the mix thanks to a runner-up performance in Shanghai, and Antwerp headliner David Goffin has designs of stealing the No. 8 spot from either Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem.
If Stockholm Open
Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 566,525 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Gael Monfils
2015 champion: Tomas Berdych (not playing)
Draw analysis: A rough top half of the Stockholm bracket includes Monfils, Alexander Zverev, Steve Johnson, Jack Sock, Gilles Muller, and Dustin Brown. Muller and Brown have to go head-to-head in the first round, with the winner possibly to face Sock in the last 16 and Monfils in the quarterfinals. Zverev and Johnson are on a collision course for the quarters and there is no reason why either one should lose prior to that showdown based on their respective draws.
The big story in the bottom half is an opening-round showdown between Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner. They also met in round one on the grass courts of Queen’s Club a few months ago, when Isner got the job done 7-6(2), 6-4. Del Potro has taken his comeback to new heights since then, however, and probably has to be considered the favorite in his half to reach the Stockholm title match. But an in-form Grigor Dimitrov, who is the No. 2 seed, may have other ideas.
Hot: Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Jack Sock, Juan Martin Del Potro
Cold: John Isner, Benjamin Becker, Adrian Mannarino, Ivan Dodig
Semifinal predictions: Alexander Zverev over Jack Sock and Grigor Dimitrov over Juan Martin Del Potro
Final: Zverev over Dimitrov
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European Open
Where: Antwerp, Belgium
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 250
Prize money: 566,525 Euros
Top seed: David Goffin
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Draw analysis: A new tournament in Belgium should be music to Goffin’s ears. The No. 1 seed and sure-fire crowd favorite in Antwerp was red hot this spring and may have heated back up last week with a quarterfinal showing at the Shanghai Masters. Although just 250 points are available at this event, a full 250 would go a long way for Goffin’s bid to qualify for the World Tour Finals. The world No. 12 should not have any real issue reaching at least the final, although either Joao Sousa or Benoit Paire in the quarters and Nicolas Mahut in the semis could present a slight problem.
With David Ferrer wrapping up a tough season and Richard Gasquet having dealt with recent physical struggles, the bottom half of the draw appears to be more wide open. Shanghai semifinalist Gilles Simon may be more dangerous at the moment than both Ferrer and Gasquet, while unseeded threats Mikhail Youzhny and Kyle Edmund are also in fine form right now. Simon and Gasquet could square off in the quarterfinals and Ferrer’s opener is likely to come against Edmund.
Hot: David Goffin, Nicolas Mahut, Kyle Edmund, Illya Marchenko,
Cold: David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet, Andreas Seppi, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Benoit Paire, Tommy Robredo
Semifinals: David Goffin over Nicolas Mahut and Gilles Simon over David Ferrer
Final: Goffin over Simon
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Kremlin Cup
Where: Moscow, Russia
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: $717,250
Points: 250
Top seed: Roberto Bautista Agut
2015 champion: Marin Cilic (not playing)
Draw analysis: Moscow is saddled with by far the weakest field of the three entry lists this week. Look no further than first-round bye recipients to notice the glaring lack of top-notch quality in the draw. Joining Bautista Agut with free passes to the last 16 are Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Viktor Troicki. Even if Bautista Agut is fatigued following his deep run in Shanghai, there may not be anyone to stop him this week. The Spaniard may not have to take the court until Thursday, too, so that would give him plenty of recuperation time.
A relatively difficult top half of the bracket includes Bautista Agut, Troicki, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Chengdu champion Karen Khachanov. Troicki upset Rafael Nadal in Shanghai before succumbing to Bautista Agut, while Carreno Busta beat Bautista Agut in this summer’s Winston-Salem final. There are no clear favorites in the bottom half, as neither Ramos-Vinolas nor Kohlschreiber is in especially strong form. Don’t be surprised if Fabio Fognini, Thomaz Bellucci, or Janko Tipsarevic makes some noise as an unseeded entrant.
Hot: Roberto Bautista Agut, Paolo Lorenzi, Karen Khachanov
Cold: Philipp Kohlschreiber, Fabio Fognini, Stephane Robert
Semifinals: Roberto Bautista Agut over Viktor Troicki and Andrey Kuznetsov over Paolo Lorenzi
Final: Bautista Agut over Kuznetsov
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Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!
who ya got?
Antwerp- Goffin over Gasquet
Moscow- RBA over Phillip Kholschriber (Yea, I know Khol probably won’t make it, but the field is horrible.)
Stockholm- Del Potro over Monfils
Stockholm Open
Hot: Muller, Jaziri, Sock, Zverev
Cold: Elias, Dodig, Young, Mannarino, E. Ymer, Albot, Isner, Becker, Zopp
I thought you would have Zopp down as hot because he qualified lol.
It was a tough call, he did just beat Sam, but Sam is not in a good place, so I see it as a one off, Zopp has lost a lot of matches lately, so I still see him as cold until he beats someone in decent form.
Robert will win.
Hawkeye- I see you keep posting this, so there must be an inside joke I missed somewhere. What’s it about?
see below.
Zverev, Goffin and here’s hoping – Kohli.
Kremlin Cup
Hot: Bautista-Agut, J. Melzer, Troicki, Rosol, Granollers, Tipsarevic, Ramos
Cold: Kukushkin, Robert, Donskoy
Jurgen Melzer is hot?! Just because he wins two matches to qualify does not mean he’s hot. Just like Pospisil wasn’t hot before last week just because he qualified. Melzer literally has been playing challengers and losing early at all of them these past few months. Are you saying he’s hot because he made a challenger QF? And Rosol?! He qualified at Shanghai. I take it that’s what you’re basing his being hot off of. He’s also barely won matches in the last few months besides those two. You can’t criticize Ricky’s lists so much when you have Rosol and Jurgen Melzer down as hot. If Fed or Rafa was in this tournament you’d probably put them as hot right? Lol
Maybe he’s hot from lying out in the sun too long.
😀 lol
Ok Benny, here’s why they are hot, it’s because they have been making upsets lately, don’t talk if you don’t follow the players closely, I didn’t make them hot just because they qualified.
Moscow:
QF-
RBA over Khachanov
Granollers over Medvedev
Kuznetsov over Tipsarevic
Fognini over Ramos-Vinolas
SF-
RBA over Granollers
Kuznetsov over Fognini
Final-
RBA over Kuznetsov
Moscow bracket
QF:
RBA over Khachanov
Troicki over Granollers (almost picked Medvedev)
Kuznetsov over Kohlschreiber
Fognini over Ramos-Vinolas
SF:
RBA over Troicki
Kuznetsov over Fognini
F:
RBA over Kuznetsov
fsutomahawk, to answer your question…
Actually I forget why!
No, but seriously (or not), it’s about when Ricky makes predictions.
The more he states them as fact, the more he seems to jinx the prediction.
See three examples here…
https://tenngrand.com/2016/10/13/shanghai-qf-previews-predictions-murray-vs-goffin-sock-vs-simon/#comment-196225
Hope Ricky takes it in jest.
#TooFunny
Antwerp Bracket
QF:
Goffin over Paire
Mahut over Cuevas (Cuevas part an edit mistake)
Gasquet over Simon
Ferrer over Seppi (in denial about Ferrer)
SF:
Gasquet over Ferrer
Goffin over Mahut
F:
Goffin over Gasquet
Stockholm Bracket
skipping it.
Bracket crash Antwerp. One of my semifinalists OUT first round. shoot.
Thinly spread draws, players we don’t see as often, accomplished pro’s whose results have been subpar this season … All this adds up to tennis books making a ton of money this week as people guess and force bets. Most of you seem to follow tennis pretty closely and I see tons of differing opinions about who will make the semis, who is hot, etc in what are supposed to be easy to predict tournaments due to the top talent being spread so thin. I think h2h records will be of utmost importance this week.
BREAKING NEWS!
JURGEN MELZER IS NO LONGER HOT!
HAVING LOST TO LUKAS ROSOL TODAY, TENNIS JOURNEYMAN AND EX-TOP 10 PLAYER JURGEN MELZER IS NO LONGER HOT AS MEASURED BY THE DIMON SCALE.
(IN RELATED NEWS, LUKAS ROSOL IS NOW HOT ACCORDING TO THE SAME MEASURE.)
FOR B1PR NEWS.
RETRACTION!
JURGEN MELTZER IS STILL HOT.
WELL I JUST HOPE THAT I DON’T COMPARE JURGEN MELZER WITH GERARD MELZER. DON’T I? OR DO I.
OK. I DID.
I ADD TO MY POST AT 6:31 PM.
JURGEN MELTZER PLAYS 6TH SEED PCB TOMORROW!
PLEASE STAY TUNED TO SEE IF JURGEN MELZER REMAINS HOT.
That was good. 😉
Gerald Melzer is a hot Challenger.
Jurgen Melzer USED to be hot. Staying tuned. Maybe he will be again.
BREAKING NEWS!!!
JURGEN MELZER IS NO LONGER HOT!
HAVING LOST TO PCB TODAY IN A 3RD SET TB, TENNIS JOURNEYMAN AND EX-TOP 10 PLAYER JURGEN MELZER IS NO LONGER HOT AS MEASURED BY THE DIMON SCALE.
(IN RELATED NEWS, PCB IS NOW HOT ACCORDING TO THE SAME MEASURE.)
(IN UNRELATED NEWS, IF ANYONE SHOULD BE FINED FOR TANKING, IT SHOULD BE DONALD TRUMP EVEN IF IT IS UNINTENTIONAL.)
FOR B1PR NEWS.
😀
Antwerp:
QF-
Goffin over Darcis
Fritz over Cuevas
Simon over Gasquet
Edmund over Seppi
SF-
Goffin over Fritz
Simon over Edmund
Final-
Goffin over Simon
Stockholm:
QF-
Muller over Monfils
Zverev over Johnson
Del Potro over Karlovic
Harrison over Dimitrov
SF-
Muller over Zverev
Del Potro over Harrison
Final-
Del Potro over Muller
Moscow- RBA over Phillip Kholschriber (Yea, I know Khol probably won’t make it, but the field is horrible.)
After making this prediction, who would have though Kholschribder would have been the one with a chance to still make the final?
Lol Bublik. How.
Have only watched Bublik and Medvedev in St.Petersburg. Don’t know how he beat RBA and appears Bublik did okay vs PCB.
A little disappointed that Khachanov couldn’t go deeper in Moscow.
Vamos Pablo Carreno Busta! ?? ?
Was thrilled that PCB won. His new ranking will be 32, a career high.
Yeah he’s straight up balling. Who would’ve thought he would win two titles and that they’d both be on hard courts.