2016 US Men’s Clay Court Championships-Jack Sock vs Juan Monaco

An interesting match in Houston later sees 4th seed and defending champion Jack Sock take on former champion and strong clay courter Juan Monaco for the US Men’s Clay Court Championships title. This match is set to take place at 14:00 Houston Time (20:00 UK Time), and Sock is looking for his 2nd career title and to defend his only previous ATP title, whilst Monaco is looking for his 8th career title and to regain the title he won back in 2012.

Both men have impressed on their way to the final; Sock hasn’t dropped a set in his previous matches whilst Monaco has only dropped one set, which is extremely impressive considering the tricky opponents that they have faced. Sock received a bye in the first round and eased past qualifier Michael Barton in the second round. He improved further after that, easing past the in form Marcos Baghdatis, and then beat top seed and fellow American John Isner to make the final; he will certainly be confident coming into this. Monaco has had to play an extra match and had to work hard to beat Gerald Melzer in the first round in three sets, but has impressed since then. He knocked out 2nd seed Benoit Paire in the second round and has since eased past 5th seed Sam Querrey and 3rd seed Feliciano Lopez to make the final; the Argentine has impressed with a tricky road and will be confident coming into this.

An interesting factor to this match is that the main advantages are evenly split. Sock has had to play one less match and may have more energy, though Monaco is a better clay court player and will be more comfortable on the surface; it will be interesting to see which of these is the biggest advantage. Sock may also be the more powerful and should try to use that slight advantage to dictate play, though can be erratic and must not make too many errors against such an experienced opponent. The American should also look to serve well against a decent returner, and is also a strong mover so should look to utilize that my varying his playing style and forcing mistakes from the Argentine. Monaco should look to serve well against a powerful opponent and may need to defend well. However, Monaco will probably be more comfortable on the surface and because of that should look to attack as much as possible and use his groundstrokes to grind Sock down. Monaco must also look to be wary of Sock’s movement, and must try to finish the point off quickly if Sock changes play.

The two have never met before, which is another factor that makes this match so interesting. This match should be much closer than the 123 places between the two in the rankings and it is a big opportunity for both though Monaco, who has played extremely well all week, is the stronger clay court player and it seems he could finish off an incredible week on a high today.

Prediction: Monaco in 3

 

2016 US Men’s Clay Court Championships-Jack Sock vs Marcos Baghdatis

An extremely interesting quarter-final clash in Houston sees 4th seed and defending champion Jack Sock take on the in form 7th seed Marcos Baghdatis face off for a place in the semi-finals at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships. This match will be the final match on Stadium court, taking place at around 20:00 Houston Time (02:00 UK Time), and the winner will face 1st seed John Isner or Hyeon Chung in the final four.

Neither man has dropped a set in Houston so far, though Sock has an advantage of receiving a bye in the first round. The American was well rested coming into the second round and her was fairly comfortable as he eased past qualifier Michael Barton without too much difficult; he will be pretty confident after that. Baghdatis has had to play an extra match though that will not affect him too much. The Cypriot didn’t concede a game to Diego Schwartzman in the first round and was comfortable against Fernando Verdasco in the second r0und; he too will be confident coming into this.

Neither of the two are massively strong clay court players, so it will be interesting to see who is able to take the other out of their comfort zone the first. Sock will, however, have positive memories of winning the title and that could help him, though he will need to serve pretty well against a good returner. The American must also look to try and take every opportunity he gets on the Cypriot’s serve, as Baghdatis may not give him too many, and Sock must also look to try and dictate play with his forehand, probably his strongest shot. Baghdatis must also serve well in this clash, though the 7th seed should also look to attack Sock’s game as much as possible, and could look to move the American around court; Baghdatis is arguably the better mover of the two.

The two have never met before, so it will be interesting to see who will be able to get used to the others game the quickest. Both men are playing well in Houston and Sock will have the crowd behind him, though Baghdatis has been playing particularly well this week and it seems if he could edge this clash.

Prediction: Baghdatis in 3

 

 

2016 US Men’s Clay Court Championships- Fernando Verdasco vs Marcos Baghdatis

Two veterans of the ATP tour face off in an interesting clash in Houston, with Fernando Verdasco taking on 7th seed Marcos Baghdatis in the second round of the US Men’s Clay Court Championships. This match will take place at around 20:00 Houston Time (02:00 UK Time), and the winner will face off against 4th seed Jack Sock or qualifier Matthew Barton in the quarter-final.

Both men have had decent seasons so far, and they both impressed in their first round clashes. Verdasco played a strong match against the potentially dangerous qualifier Carlos Berlocq, easing past the Argentine in straight sets; a similar performance will give him a good opportunity. However Baghdatis, not a clay specialist, stormed past another Argentine, Diego Schwartzman, without conceding a single game. It was one of the best performances in a long time for the Cypriot, and he’ll certainly have a good opportunity if he plays just as well in this match.

Perhaps the biggest key for both men is consistency. There is no doubt that Verdasco and Baghdatis are talented players, but both can be erratic; the player who is the most consistent in this match could have a big advantage. Verdasco is probably the stronger clay court player of the two, and should try to build on this. The Spaniard should look to serve well and must try to attack the Cypriot’s game as much as possible. Verdasco must be careful, however, to not make too many unforced errors; he rarely wins when that is the case. Serving may be key for Baghdatis, though he served well in his opener and will be looking to be just as effective against Verdasco. The 7th seed should also look to try and attack the Spaniard’s game as much as possible, and could look to try and get Verdasco moving around court.

Baghdatis has won both previous meetings between the two, including a straight sets win in Tokyo last season. The Cypriot played extremely well in the first round and has been solid all year, and should be able to win this, though Verdasco may not make it easy.

Prediction: Baghdatis in 3

2016 US Men’s Clay Court Championships- Juan Monaco vs Benoit Paire

One of the most interesting matches of the day in Houston sees clay court specialist Juan Monaco take on talented 2nd seed Benoit Paire for a sport in the US Men’s Clay Court Championships third round. This match is set to take place on Stadium court at 13:00 Houston Time (19:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 5th seed Sam Querrey or Benjamin Becker in the third round.

2nd seed Paire will be looking to pick up some form in Houston. The Frenchman hasn’t built on his strong 2015, having a negative win-loss ratio for 2016 so far, and will be looking to play well on clay early on this season, as he looks to have a strong build up for his home major, the French Open, in May. Monaco also has a negative win-loss ratio so far this season and has fallen outside the top 100, though this is largely due to injury trouble. The Argentine is, however, a strong clay court player, and impressed in the first round with a three set victory over Gerald Melzer; he will be confident after that.

Paire does have the potential to be the better player of the two, though must play a solid match against a strong clay court player. The Frenchman should look to serve well and and must try to use his power to dictate play, as he is arguably a stronger player than Monaco. Paire should also look to try and attack Monaco’s serve as much as possible, though will need to focus and probably play better than he has so far this year. Monaco may need to defend well and will certainly need to serve well, and the Argentine should also look to play a very solid game against a potentially erratic opponent.

All three of their previous meetings have also been on clay, with Monaco leading the head to head 2-1, and winning their last meeting, in Nice last year, in straight sets. The Argentine played well in his opening round and has a good opportunity against the erratic Paire, and it seems that Monaco could pull off the upset.

Prediction: Monaco in 3