2015 China Open- Rafael Nadal vs Fabio Fognini

The first semi-final of the day seed 3rd seed Rafael Nadal take on the unseeded Fabio Fognini in their 5th meeting of this season. It should be an interesting match and it is first on the National Tennis Stadium at 12:30 Beijing Time (05;30 UK Time). Here is my prediction!

It hasn’t been the most simple road for Nadal to reach this stage. He had to work harder than expected against Di Wu, winning 6-4 6-4, and then saw off the tricky Vasek Pospisil in a tight 7-6 6-4 score line. He then had to come from behind in his quarter-final match, eventually seeing off Jack Sock 3-6 6-4 6-3. His best tennis of the week came in those final two sets against Sock, though he might not be able to get away with such a slow start against Fognini.

Fognini hasn’t had the most successful year, but has played some good tennis so far. His most impressive performance came in the 1st round where he cruised past Martin Klizan 6-2 6-1, and followed that by upsetting 7th seed David Goffin 6-2 2-6 6-2. He then faced another tight match before beating Pablo Cuevas 6-1 2-6 6-2. Fognini has played some good tennis so far, but may not be able to afford a mid-match dip like his past two matches.

The two have already played four times this year, and surprisingly Fognini has won three of them. He leads 2-1 on Clay and his most significant win was a comeback in the US Open 3rd round- he was two sets down. However Fognini can be extremely erratic, and it is important that he not only plays well but also controls his temperament. As for Nadal, he will need to play like he did in the final two sets against Sock but will also need to give very few opportunities to the Italian.

This should be a good match and it will be interesting to see if one player gets off to a quick start. It should be tight, but Nadal will have some momentum after those final two sets against Sock and should just edge this.

Prediction- Nadal in 3

2015 China Open- Day 6 Men’s Picks

The final 2nd round matches take place for the men in Beijing, with many big names in action. It should be an exciting day- here are three of my predictions!

David Goffin vs Fabio Fognini

The 2nd match on the National Tennis Stadium is an extremely interesting on as 7th seed David Goffin takes on the ever-entertaining Fabio Fognini. Both men played well in their last match, with Goffin easing past Andreas Seppi and Fognini easing past Martin Klizan, and they’ve never actually played before, adding to the interesting in this match. Goffin has had the better year in general, though Fognini seems to still have some confidence after his upset of Rafael Nadal at the US Open and will be hard to beat. It should be tight, though I think Goffin should take this.

Prediction: Goffin in 3

Ivo Karlovic vs Pablo Cuevas

Ivo Karlovic looks to continue his strong year as he faces Pablo Cuevas in the 1st match on the Lotus Court. The big serving Croatian has had a very good year and was able to see off fellow veteran and Shenzhen finalist Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the 1st round in a tight two setter. However it is the Uruguayan Cuevas who had the stand-out result of the opening round, defeating Shenzhen champion and 2nd seed Tomas Berdych in straight sets- he’ll be full of confidence after that. They have only played once before and that was back in 2009 (Karlovic won a straight sets match in the Paris Masters) so that will probably have little effect on this match, though Karlovic has been playing well of late and it is hard to see past him in this match-up.

Prediction: Karlovic in 2

Novak Djokovic vs Ze Zhang

1st seed Novak Djokovic looks to continue his campaign for another China Open title as he faces home favourite Ze Zhang in the 3rd match on the National Stadium. Djokovic was imperious, conceding just two games against Simone Bolelli, and it will take a mammoth challenge from anyone to beat him here. Ze Zhang had to battle past Denis Istomin in his opening match, and will have to play his best ever match to even have a chance against Djokovic. Unless something incredible happens, this should be a breeze for Djokovic.

Prediction: Djokovic in 2

Also in action

The other singles match of the day sees John Millman take on 6th seed John Isner. There are also some doubles matches taking place- pairs involved include Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, Dominic Thiem and David Goffin and Novak and Djordje Djokovic.

2015 US Open- Day 5 Men’s Picks

There are many interesting 3rd round matches taking place today, with many big names in action- here are three of my predictions!

Jeremy Chardy vs David Ferrer

7th seed David Ferrer has an extremely difficult 3rd round match as he faces the in-form 27th seed Jeremy Chardy. Ferrer hasn’t been entirely convincing against Radu Albot and Filip Krajinovic, and is certainly lacking match practice following a month out due to injury. Chardy has been slightly more impressive, edging past Ryan Shane in 4 sets but then eased past Martin Klizan is surprisingly simple fashion. Chardy has been in good form recently, reaching the semi-finals in Montreal, and has a great opportunity to upset Ferrer here. The Spaniard will fight, as usual, but it seems Chardy could edge this one.

Prediction: Chardy in 5

Milos Raonic vs Feliciano Lopez

There will be a lot of aces in this one as the 10th seed Milos Raonic faces 18th seed Feliciano Lopez. Raonic and Lopez both won their openers in straight sets, against Tim Smyczek and Nikoloz Basilashvili respectively, but were made to work harder on Wednesday as Raonic was pushed to 4 sets by Fernando Verdasco and Lopez had to go to 5 sets against Mardy Fish. Lopez has been in better form overall recently but had a really poor run of form during the clay and grass season, whilst Raonic has had a year affected by injuries. It should be tight, but it seems the more consistent form of Raonic should edge this.

Prediction: Raonic in 5

Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal

There is an intriguing match on Ashe tonight as 32nd seed Fabio Fognini faces 8th seed Rafael Nadal. Both men have had similar roads so far- Fognini saw off Steve Johnson in 4 sets before seeing off Pablo Cuevas in 3, whilst Nadal saw off Borna Coric in 4 sets before beating Diego Schwartzman in 3- so it could be a close battle. However Fognini’s wins so far here are his only hard court wins of the year, and whilst Nadal hasn’t had his best season Fognini has also struggled. Nadal should comfortably win this, though if his level isn’t great Fognini could take a set.

Prediction: Nadal in 3

Also in action

Defending champion Marin Cilic plays Mikhail Kukushkin, whilst 1st seed Novak Djokovic faces 25th seed Andreas Seppi. Other players in action include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Robredo and David Goffin.

2015 Western and Southern Open- Men’s Picks on Monday

Day 2 of the singles action for the men takes place today, following victories for Martin Klizan and Grigor Dimitrov yesterday. With several great matches taking place it should be exciting- here are three of my predictions!

Gael Monfils vs Jerzy Janowicz

Two talented yet inconsistent men face off here as 14th seed Gael Monfils takes on the big serving Jerzy Janowicz. Monfils can beat anyone when he is playing at his best but is very inconsistent and may not have an easy match against Janowicz. The Pole reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon two years ago but has been extremely erratic since and is currently 52nd in the world. Janowicz actually won their last meeting- come from two sets to one down in the second round of the Australian Open earlier this year- and will need to serve well if he wants to have any chance of winning. If Monfils wants to win he will need to be somewhere near his best; if he isn’t, there could be an upset here.

Prediction: Monfils in 3

Gilles Simon vs Ivo Karlovic

10th seed Gilles Simon has an extremely difficult first round match against the big-serving Ivo Karlovic. The Croatian is still going strong at the age of 36 and hit his 10,00th ace last week in Montreal- his serve is still firing at all cylinders. Karlovic is still incredibly hard to beat, but Simon is one of the most consistent men on tour and has been playing well this year. Karlovic is prone to errors, so it’s important for Simon to try and stay in the points and frustrate the Croatian. However Simon must also be serving at a high percentage, as Karlovic’s second serve returns have been lethal lately, and he could punish the much smaller Simon at every opportunity he’s given. Karlovic leads the head to head 2-1, though they haven’t met since 2011; it should be very close.

Prediction: Karlovic in 3

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini

There could well be an upset this evening on Grandstand, as qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis faces Fabio Fognini. It’s been an extremely difficult few days for Kokkinakis- following the now infamous comments of Nick Kyrgios against Stan Wawrinka in Montreal, he had to come through a tempestuous match against Ryan Harrison in which they had to be separated by the umpire. However despite all this he was able to qualify and faces Fabio Fognini. The Italian has had a slight slump in form this year and has not really played well on hard courts all season. He certainly has more experience than the young Australian, but Kokkinakis has played well this year and has a great opportunity against the vulnerable Italian.

Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3

Also in action

Jack Sock begins his campaign against fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo, whilst Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Cuevas face off for the chance to face Roger Federer in the second round. Sergiy Stakhovsky faces Bernard Tomic in what is an open part of the draw following the withdrawal of Kei Nishikori, whilst Vasek Pospisil faces Denis Kudla.

Rogers Cup- Day 1 Men’s Predictions

The main draw of the men’s edition of this tournament kicks off in Montreal today, with several exciting matches set to take place. None of the top eight seeds are in action, as they all receive a bye into the second round, but there are still several big names in action- here are three of my predictions!

Gael Monfils vs Fabio Fognini

The crowd on Court Central will receive a treat in Montreal later as two of the great entertainers of tennis face off for the 7th time. The head to head between Monfils and Fognini is 3-3, with both having won 5 setters at Roland Garros and once in straight sets and once in three sets on the ATP tour. Monfils, the 15th seed, certainly has more power than Fognini and is a better athlete than the Italian, and Fognini will struggle to beat Monfils if the Frenchman is at his best. However both men are consistently inconsistent, and if Monfils is not playing will Fognini certainly has a chance- if he is playing well and manages to keep his temperament under control.

Prediction: Monfils in 3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Borna Coric

10th seed and defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has not reached a final since his victory in Toronto last year, and will  be look to change that as he attempts to defend his title. However the Frenchman, who has slipped to 24th in the world after losing his points for last years triumph, doesn’t have the easiest opening round match against rising star Borna Coric, who has risen to the world’s top 40. The 18 year-old Croatian, who turned pro just two years ago, is tipped to be a future world No.1 and has already recorded victories over Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. Coric could win if Tsonga is below par but even then it would be a difficult match for him, and Tsonga has much more experience in playing in big matches on big courts.

Prediction: Tsonga in 3

Andreas Seppi vs Gilles Simon

9th seed Gilles Simon will not have an easy opening match against Andreas Seppi, which opens the action on Court Central in Montreal this year. Simon has won all four of their previous meetings, but Seppi has been in good form this year and defeated Roger Federer in the Australian Open earlier this year. However the unseeded Italian retired in his first match in Kitzbuhel last week, and he may still be suffering from the leg injury that forced him to withdrew. We also haven’t seen Simon since he Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Roger Federer; it will be interesting to see how well the Frenchman plays.

Prediction: Simon in 2

Also in action

There is an all Spanish battle second on Court Central as Feliciano Lopez faces Tommy Robredo, whilst Ivo Karlovic faces fellow big server Jerzy Janowicz. Bernard Tomic faces Joao Sousa for the chance to face Marin Cilic, whilst Tomaz Bellucci faces Pablo Cuevas for a chance to face Novak Djokovic in the 2nd round.

2015 Generali Open Kitzbuhel- Quarter Finals

Only three seeds have made the quarter final’s in Kitzbuhel, as there have been upsets and retirements every day so far. With some of the players left in not performing at their best, the tournament is still wide open- Here are my predictions!

Dominic Thiem vs Albert Montanes

Top seed Thiem, who has won his past two tournaments in Umag and Gstaad, survived his first match by the skin of his teeth as he came from a set down and 4-1 down in the final set to beat fellow Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer 1-6 7-6 6-4. He next faces lucky loser Albert Montanes, who has conceded only 11 games in his first two matches against Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Diego Schwartzman. The 34 year old certainly has pedigree on clay, having won 6 titles on the surface, and beat Thiem here two years ago in their only meeting. Thiem certainly has the better form, but might not be able to get away with such a slow start again.

Prediction: Thiem in 3

Fabio Fognini vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

The only quarter where the seedings have worked out sees two experienced clay court players face off. Third seed Fognini quickly saw off wildcard Dennis Novak in his only match so far, whilst Kohlschreiber battled past Jan-Lennard Struff in 3 sets before cruising past Santiago Giraldo 6-0 6-2 in just 57 minutes. Neither man has had the greater season (Though Fognini comes off a promising run to the Hamburg final) and with their head to head 1-1 on clay (Kohlschreiber has one victory on hard courts) it promises to be an interesting battle first on Centre Court today.

Prediction: Fognini in 3

Federico Delbonis vs Paul-Henri Mathieu

An unexpected quarter final takes place first on Grand Stand, as unseeded Federico Delbonis faces the French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu. The retirement of 5th seed Juan Monaco opened up this section and his compatriot Delbonis took advantage, seeing off Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets before battling past Robin Haase (who got through via Monaco’s retirement) in 3 sets. Mathieu started by comfortably seeing off another French qualifier, Kenny de Schepper, before upsetting 4th seed Martin Klizan 7-5 6-3. Delbonis won their only previous meeting, 6-4 6-2 on the clay in Nice, but the Frenchman has more experience.

Prediction: Delbonis in 3

Nicolas Almagro vs Dusan Lajovic

Another surprise quarter final takes place second on Centre Court today, as the returning Nicolas Almagro faces Dusan Lajovic. Almagro battled past 6th seed Jiri Vesely in 3 sets in the first round, before once again facing a battles as he saw off Jurgen Melzer in two tight sets. Lajovic impressed with a straight sets win over Mikhail Youzhny, before leading 7-5 3-0 when 2nd seed Andreas Seppi retired. Lajovic is 25 places higher in the rankings at 112, but Almagro seems to be finding some good form after a long lay off with a foot injury and has won 12 titles on this surface, compared to 0 career titles for Lajovic.

Prediction: Almagro in 3