The second set of Round of 16 matches at the ATP Queen’s Club Championships is full of exciting action. Tommy Paul and Ryan Peniston are looking to build on their first-round upsets where they knocked off two of the favorites to win the tournament. Stan Wawrinka is in action in his quest to win his first title on grass in a decorated career. Sam Querrey looks to be a danger again on his favorite surface after a difficult season, and fellow American Denis Kudla takes on last week’s titleist in Stuttgart Matteo Berrettini. This tournament is one of the main tuneups for Wimbledon, so it will be fun to see which players are coming into form on the grass.
ATP Queen’s Club Day 4 Predictions
Denis Kudla vs Matteo Berrettini
Head-to-head: 3-3
Kudla is a good grass court player and made the final in Surbiton and has a Wimbledon fourth round appearance to his name. Berrettini showed no signs of rust after time off due to injury, winning last week’s title in Stuttgart. They have surprisingly split their head-to-head but Berrettini owns the last two meetings including their lone meeting on grass. Kudla has been average of late and lost in qualifying here before getting awarded a lucky loser. Berrettini looks strong in his return and the defending Wimbledon finalist will have no problems with Kudla on the fast grass courts that suit his power game.
Prediction: Berrettini in 2
Filip Krajinovic vs Sam Querrey
Head-to-head: 1-1
Querrey had a really tough start to 2022, winning just two of his first ten matches. Including qualifying, he has captured six match wins in the last two weeks alone, finding his form on historically his best surface. Krajinovic has had a strong season leading to a Top 50 ranking, though he is much less comfortable on grass. This will be just his second match on the surface in 2022 after dispatching Jenson Brooksby in round one. Success on grass is often indicated by experience and form, and Querrey has logged eight matches on the surface as well as years of strong results. Querrey’s big serve will continue to be a big asset, and he will rely on that to stay ahead and control the match.
Prediction: Querrey in 2
Ryan Peniston vs Francisco Cerundolo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Cerundolo is playing his first tournament of his career on grass courts. He won his first round match easily, though he beat clay-court specialist in Pedro Martinez. Peniston is a journeyman who scored a wild card this week and came out strong by knocking off #1 seed Casper Ruud in the first round. He relied on a strong lefty serve where he was broken just once all match and only faced two break points. He has played mostly at the Challenger-level but has scored consecutive quarterfinals on grass, beating top-80 players in both tournaments. Peniston looks great on grass and will have a home crowd behind him, as well as much more experience on the surface. Cerundolo is a strong player and will put up an excellent fight, but Peniston will win a decisive tiebreak to take the match and continue his run.
Prediction: Peniston in 3
Tommy Paul vs Stan Wawrinka
Head-to-head: 1-0 Wawrinka
This will be a bit of a clash of styles between players looking to improve their grass court records. Paul has a strong, quick forehand that he will use to try and trouble Wawrinka’s slower, yet powerful groundstrokes. Paul upset defending Wimbledon semifinalst Denis Shapovalov in a close three setter for his first ever tour win on grass. Wawrinka has had by far his worst results on grass, only winning half of his career matches on the surface compared to a 63.2% overall win percentage. While Stan is more experienced, he struggled in the first round against Frances Tiafoe, winning 7-5 in a deciding tiebreak. Wawrinka served incredibly in round one with 22 aces, which will be a tough performance to replicate. Paul will use his on-court and shot speed to trouble Wawrinka, and will be able to force him into enough errors to take the match.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
