Stockholm R2 previews and predictions: Del Potro vs. Almagro, Anderson vs. Harrison

Juan Martin Del Potro will continue his Stockholm campaign when he takes the court against Nicolas Almagro on Thursday. Kevin Anderson and Ryan Harrison are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.

(WC) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Nicolas Almagro

Del Potro’s impressive 2016 comeback has him up to No. 63 in the world and that, for the most part, does not even include his exploits at the Rio Olympics (silver medal) or in the Davis Cup (Argentina will play Croatia in the final later this fall). The 27-year-old’s summer also featured a third-round showing at Wimbledon and a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open before he upset Andy Murray in a Davis Cup five-setter to help his country beat Great Britain. On the heels of some much-needed rest, Del Potro got back in action at the If Stockholm Open on Wednesday and took down Shanghai doubles champion John Isner 6-4, 7-6(6).

Up next on Thursday is Almagro, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1 overall and 2-0 at the ATP level. The Spaniard won a 2006 clay-court Challenger match but lost to Del Potro twice in 2013; 7-6(7), 7-6(1) in the Tokyo semifinals and 6-3, 6-3 in the Shanghai quarters. Almagro, who has also dealt with his fair share of injury problems in recent times, is a respectable 22-19 for the season following a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 defeat of Yuichi Sugita on Tuesday. The world No. 41 is coming off a second-round performance in Shanghai, where he beat Mikhail Youzhny in three sets before falling to Lucas Pouille 6-4, 7-6(10). Almagro likes to play offense, though, and that is something he will not be able to do against an in-form Del Potro.

Pick: Del Potro in 2

[polldaddy poll=9556439]

Kevin Anderson vs. (Q) Ryan Harrison

Anderson and Harrison will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came in the 2013 Atlanta semifinals, with Anderson getting the job done 6-3, 7-6(3). This season has been a struggle for the 6’8” South African, who was hampered by an arm injury during the first few months and has been unable to sustain any real momentum. He reached the Toronto quarterfinals this summer but compiled a modest 7-7 record in his next seven events prior to Stockholm. Anderson kicked off this week with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Marcos Baghdatis on Monday.

Harrison is in the midst of a relatively resurgent 2016 campaign–especially during the second half–in which he has qualified for ATP tournaments left and right. The 24-year-old American is 6-for-8 in qualifying attempts dating back to the start of the hard-court summer and he played his way into the main draw in Stockholm. Harrison followed that up with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of fellow qualifier Adam Pavlasek on Monday. Having played and won so many high-pressure matches of late, the world No. 105 should have a good chance of pulling off a minor upset in this one.

Pick: Harrison in 3

[polldaddy poll=9555450]