A nine-hour drive south of Flushing Meadows, the final pre-US Open tournament concludes in North Carolina. The ATP Winston-Salem Open, a 250-level event, has proven to be something of a weathervane for future stars, with past winners going on to find plenty of future success. Prestigious champions in recent years include Hubert Hurkacz, Daniil Medvedev and Roberta Bautista Agut. Who will join that list here – Adrian Mannarino or Laslo Djere?
ATP Winston-Salem Final Prediction
Adrian Mannarino vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: first meeting
Mannarino, who boasts one of the most unusual techniques on the tour, lacks a skill that belies his seemingly casual and unthreatening style. His flat ball-striking has been more of a match for some very different players this week, as he disposed of serve-and-volleyer Maxime Cressey and the ultra-consistent baseliner Albert Ramos-Vinolas, both in straight sets. His semi-final was particularly impressive, as he dished out a first-set bagel to the dangerous Botic van de Zandschulp, the #2 seeded Dutchman. He did not face a single break point all match. His record in finals, however, is not a good one. The Frenchman has come away with just one title from ten trips to the final, and has lost all seven of his hard-court finals too.
An otherwise unremarkable season has burst into life this week for Laslo Djere, who until recently may be best remembered for his three-set epic against Nick Kyrgios in the early throes of the grass season. He’s certainly had his work cut out this week – until the semi-final, all four of his matches went the distance over three sets, two of them eventually decided on tiebreaks. The semi itself also went to tiebreaks in both sets. Whether such an intense schedule is good preparation for a two-week Grand Slam event is debatable, but it could have its reward here. The big-serving Serbian has yet to win on hard courts at ATP level.
With neither man having had much success in finals, something has to give. Based purely on performances, I think Mannarino has the versatility and the experience to deal of Djere’s power, while Djere’s court time may also count in the Frenchman’s favour.
Prediction: Mannarino in 3
Main photo:
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