Toronto R2 previews and predictions: Isner vs. Harrison, Goffin vs. Querrey

John Isner and Ryan Harrison are set for an all-American clash in the Toronto second round on Wednesday. Countryman Sam Querrey is also in action, as the Wimbledon quarterfinalist is scheduled for a meeting with David Goffin.

(9) John Isner vs. (Q) Ryan Harrison

Isner and Harrison will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers and for the first time in more than three years when they finally meet again in round two of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in favor of Isner, who once came from two sets down to defeat Harrison 5-7, 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-1, 8-6 at the 2013 French Open. The rest of their encounters have all required only two sets. Harrison scored his lone victory via a 6-4, 6-4 decision on the hard courts of Sydney early in 2013, but he promptly lost three in a row to Isner in the span of three months.

The flurry of Toronto withdrawals almost gave Isner a first-round bye, but he missed out on that benefit by one spot. The 6’10” American thus opened with Dudi Sela on Monday, when he started slow but ended up rolling 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Still, Isner is a modest 20-13 for the season and he is coming off a Washington, D.C. quarterfinal loss to Steve Johnson in which he squandered a total of 12 set points. The North American hard-court swing looks like it is proving to be just what the doctor ordered for a previously slumping Harrison. The world No. 144 qualified in Washington, D.C., picked up a win over Viktor Troicki, qualified in Toronto, and crushed Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-1 in round one. Unfortunately for Harrison, this is also by far Isner’s favorite time of year. The world No. 16 should be able to hold serve with ease while winning just enough return points to seal the deal in straight sets.

Pick: Isner in 2

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Sam Querrey vs. (7) David Goffin

This marks Goffin’s first appearance since a solid fourth-round showing at Wimbledon, although it could have been even better. The 25-year-old Belgian cruised through three rounds and led Milos Raonic by two sets to love only to succumb to the eventual runner-up in five. Despite that setback, Goffin is a stellar 31-13 for the season and is in the World Tour Finals discussion at No. 11 in both the race and the world rankings.

Following a bye, the seventh seed’s opener will come in the form of a second career encounter with Querrey. Their only previous showdown also came in round two of the Rogers Cup last summer, when Goffin got the job done 6-4, 6-4. Querrey’s recent stay at the All-England Club was, of course, even more productive than that of Goffin. The 29th-ranked American stunned Novak Djokovic in the last 32 and ultimately progressed to the quarterfinals (lost to Raonic in five). Querrey maintained momentum by reaching the quarters last week in Washington, D.C. (fell to eventual champion Gael Monfils) and he took care of Canadian wild card Frank Dancevic 7-6(5), 6-4 on Monday. This, however, is a nightmarish matchup for the 28-year-old. Goffin not only forces opponents to hit a ton of extra shots, but he also takes the ball very early on top of the baseline and Querrey is a player who likes to have plenty of time to set up for his big but inconsistent groundstrokes.

Pick: Goffin in 2

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