In the semifinals of the ATP New York Open, experience triumphed over youth. This leaves us with a final between two players that have won titles in the past, but neither has done so in quite some time.
Who will win? We give our thoughts.
ATP New York Open Final
Kyle Edmund vs Andreas Seppi
Head-to-Head Record: Edmund 4-1 Seppi
Previous meetings between this pair indicate quite strongly that the Briton should be favorite in this match. Seppi’s only victory in the series was on clay. On any quicker surface, Edmund has emerged the victor, in straight sets on three occasions. The last of these was only weeks ago in Auckland where Edmund claimed a narrow victory via a second set tiebreak.
There is a lot to like about Seppi’s game at the moment. Though the Italian is now 35, age seems to be less of an issue in the modern game than it has been. Seppi’s shot selection against Jason Jung in the semifinal was excellent, execution also almost perfect. The Italian won over half of the points on Jung’s serve. This shows how much either Jung suffered from nerves in his first semifinal or how good Seppi was on return, the truth probably lies somewhere in-between.
Edmund had a similarly impressive return game against Miomir Kecmanovic. In yesterday’s predictions, I speculated that the Serbian would be the one to produce better return games, but in fact, it was the Briton who dominated that area of the game. Edmund was solid, if not spectacular, on serve. Kecmanovic created two breakpoints but was unable to take either.
It seems unlikely that Seppi will be able to repeat his success on return against the stronger serve of Edmund. If he was able to get into rallies, then his greater court craft could maneuver the Brit into positions where he is uncomfortable. However, this hasn’t happened successfully in the career series so far. Edmund is a justifiable favourite and he should be able to control the match with his serve and forehand.
Prediction: Edmund in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
