Washington, D.C. R1 previews and predictions: Ruusuvuori vs. Coric, Shapovalov vs. Bautista Agut

The Washington, D.C. main draw will get underway on Monday with Emil Ruusuvuori taking on 2022 Cincinnati champion Borna Coric and Denis Shapovalov battling Spanish veteran Roberta Bautista Agut.

Emil Ruusuvuori vs. Borna Coric

This is one of those matches that has the potential to be a spectacle. Both Ruusuvuori and Coric are capable of playing great tennis and producing solid results. They are also both in slump at the moment. Ruusuvuori, a talented Finn, has seen his ranking fall to 69th in the world from a career high of 37. Results this year have been poor enough that he has spent some time on the Challenger circuit trying to hawk some points.

Coric’s ranking dip is even more dramatic. The Croat was the world No. 12 back in 2018; he now sits at No. 83 with a miserable 8-13 record on the season. With that said, both players still show flashes of brilliance. Ruusuvuori does so a bit more readily than Coric does, as he showed against Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon a few weeks ago. Coric had one good tournament this year (Montpellier, where he made the final), otherwise it’s been bad news for him.

Ruusuvuori is in better form right now. He should have the edge in this first-rounder, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Coric makes a match of it.

Cheryl pick: Ruusuvuori in 3

Ricky pick: Ruusuvuori in 2

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Denis Shapovalov vs. Roberto Bautista Agut

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is finally showing some signs of life after a dismal season. He won a couple of matches at Wimbledon and pushed American Ben Shelton to five sets. The world No. 140 is playing well enough right now that he should be able to post a couple of wins on his preferred North American hard courts.

Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut also had a bit of a resurgence at Wimbledon. The Spaniard benefitted from a favorable draw there but he was still able to post a fourth-round result and finds himself back inside the top 100 at No. 74 on the strength of his result in London. Shapovalov and Bautista Agut have only met once before, in the fourth round of Wimbledon back in 2021. The lefty won that encounter in straight sets.

Shapovalov made a quick stop in Atlanta but bowed out in the first round, so he will head into Washington with plenty of rest.

Cheryl pick: Shapovalov in 3

Ricky pick: Bautista Agut in 3

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