The French Open is over and, as quick as a flash, the ATP has moved from the grinding play of the clay season to the lighting fast serve-centric grass courts of Den Bosch. On the second day of play at the men’s event in s’Hertogenbosch, we have plenty of ATP stars in contention that have been deprived a tour-level match for a while, including Emil Ruusuvuori’s clash with Brandon Nakashima and Alexander Bublik’s third meeting with David Goffin. As always at LWOT, we’ve looked to predict these matches and others–in a separate article.
ATP Hertogenbosch Day 2 Predictions
Laslo Djere vs Ricardas Berankis
Head-to-head: Djere 2-1 Berankis (all levels)
Laslo Djere’s usual grinding style of play doesn’t work as well on grass. He’s played 11 matches on the surface yet only won three throughout his career. Djere’s not having the greatest season anyway but it seems unlikely that he’ll transition from clay to grass with grace.
On the other hand, Ricardas Berankis has a commendable record on grass, clearly happy to dominate with his serve and forehand. He’s defeated former Wimbledon semifinalists Shapovalov and Querrey and former Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson on the surface plus he’ll be warmed up having come through qualifying.
Prediction: Berankis in 2
Jordan Thompson vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Head-to-head: First meeting
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is an extremely talented 19-year-old that’s shown he deserved his wild-card into the French Open main draw this year. He defeated Andrea Vavassori, an equipped serve and volleyer that should be comfortable on grass, in qualifying and he’s generally had a respectable year.
Jordan Thompson will have his work cut out for him. The Aussie has actually got the serving pedigree to play pretty well on grass, however, and should be okay over the long run as the more experienced player.
Prediction: Thompson in 3
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Emil Ruusuvuori vs Brandon Nakashima
Head-to-head: 1-1 (all levels)
Brandon Nakashima hasn’t really got going this season. He’s lost more matches than he’s won and has occasionally suffered some one-sided losses. The American has the serve to play well on grass, however–he was a whisker away from reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year.
It’s easy to get caught up in the blistering power of Emil Ruusuvuori but his serve actually leaves a lot to be desired. The Finn is one of the few ATP players that can’t rely on a sliding serve in the deuce court, making crucial free points harder to come by on this surface. Nakashima feels like the safer bet to roll through his service games.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Alexander Bublik vs David Goffin
Head-to-head: Goffin 2-0 Bublik
Alexander Bublik’s serve on a grass court is almost unfair. He defeated Andy Murray, arguably one of the greatest returners of all time, for the loss of only one service game last year in Newport. He’s more than capable of taking care of business on serve in these conditions regardless of who’s on the other side of the net.
Though David Goffin has a decent record on grass, Bublik will likely play without any fatigue in the first round. We expect the Kazakhstani to overwhelm last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinalist.
Prediction: Bublik in 2
