With the clay court season now officially over, it’s a quick turnaround for the players in preparation for Wimbledon. A number of big stars will be returning to the ATP Queen’s Club Championships as they get their grass court season going, and this week should be very interesting to see who is showing good promise on the grass. Throughout the week we will be offering up our predictions on who will be advancing at the Queen’s Club Championships, we have predictions for matches featuring Reilly Opelka and Cam Norrie as well. So, who is heading through on Day 1?
ATP Queen’s Club Championships Day 1 Predictions
Liam Broady vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: Broady 1 – 0 Mannarino
This should be an interesting encounter. Liam Broady received a wild card for the tournament and often plays well on the British grass. The two have met on one occasion which Broady won, although this was on an indoor hardcourt so the conditions were very different. Mannarino is a very good grass court player so this is definitely a match he’ll be hoping to win. The Frenchman’s fluid and calm playstyle often translates beautifully to this surface.
Both players have struggled hugely for wins this season, so they’ll be looking forward to a fresh challenge on a surface they enjoy. Mannarino’s experience should count a lot in his favour here, despite the poor form he is in right now. Broady hasn’t had much luck this year either with a handful of disappointing losses in qualifiers. Having the home advantage will be beneficial, but may not be enough. Mannarino is the more experienced and successful of the two, so he should take this in a good contest.
Prediction: Mannarino in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs Viktor Troicki
Head-to-head: First meeting
Lorenzo Sonego would’ve been very disappointed to crash out of the French Open in the first round after such a promising clay season. He will no doubt be hoping to put this behind him and find his form again. Viktor Troicki has certainly fallen off somewhat in recent years, and had to come through qualifying to be in the main draw. The Serb has found it difficult recently to get through qualifiers or get through any first round encounters, and he’s up against a dangerous opponent.
Sonego has plenty of firepower to blow people off the court, and given Troicki’s current form and age, this should be a relatively comfortable match for the Italian. He may have a bit of trouble adjusting from clay to grass, so he could be slightly shaky. However, he should settle in soon enough and come way with a good win.
Prediction: Sonego in 2
Feliciano Lopez vs Illya Marchenko
Head-to-head: First meeting
Feliciano Lopez is the reigning champion of this tournament due to its cancellation last year. He’s always played some outstanding tennis at Queen’s and he clearly loves performing here. Though he may not be the favourite to win this year, he’s not someone you can count out. Qualifier Illya Marchenko is really up against it here, and hasn’t been winning many tour level matches to suggest he’ll cause many problems for Lopez.
Marchenko has a good serve and is pretty solid from the back of the court, but it’s not enough to beat the top players anymore. The veteran Spaniard always plays his best tennis on grass thanks to his excellent serving and net play, and it can be a nightmare to counter. Expect Lopez to come away with this in relatively easy fashion.
Prediction: Lopez in 2
Jannik Sinner vs Jack Draper
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is bound to be a great match. Both players are just 19 years of age and clearly have big futures ahead of them. Jannik Sinner is becoming a real force on the men’s circuit, and recently impressed greatly at the French Open where he served for the first set in his loss against Rafael Nadal. Sinner no doubt is ahead of Draper right now, but it will be thrilling to see these two youngsters play in what will surely not be their last encounter.
Jack Draper has good history on grass, and he reached the Junior Wimbledon finals in 2018. This will be a very interesting test for him, and his aggressive left hand game should cause Sinner some problems. However, Sinner’s maturity and solidness is already so impressive that he should be able to deal with this. The Italian star’s groundstrokes are phenomenal and he can outhit many of the top players. Expect Sinner to win this one, but it won’t come too easily.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
