Day 2 of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s Club promises fireworks as top seeds will be in action. #1 Stefanos Tsitsipas will make his debut, as will Denis Shapovalov and Juan Martin del Potro–who square off in a mouthwatering first round match.
We take a look on the remaining first round matches and provide insight on who will progress to the Round of 16. (We also have predictions for four other Day 2 matches, including Grigor Dimitrov vs Felix Auger-Aliassime.)
ATP Queen’s Club Championships Day 2 Predictions
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Kyle Edmund
Head-To-Head: First meeting
Stefanos Tsitsipas has enjoyed a breakthrough year on tour, culminating in career-high ranking of World #6. The young Greek reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open where he ended Roger Federer’s run as champion in the fourth round. He then captured two more ATP singles titles, one in Montpellier and the other on the clay courts of Estoril.
The same cannot be said of Kyle Edmund in 2019, as his season is turning into a shocker. The British #1 produced a career-best season in 2018 when he reached the last four in Melbourne (his best Grand Slam performance to date), claimed his first ATP title in Antwerp, and secured a year-end ranking of #14.
But Edmund has not repeated that this year and he has dipped as low as No.30 in the rankings. The man from Yorkshire is a former quarterfinalist at this event and you can never write him off on this surface, particularly when he possesses such a ferocious forehand and his big serve–which he has taken time to beef up a little bit. Tsitsipas lost to Nicolas Jarry in Den Bosch last week – a player who is not too dissimilar to Edmund in terms of raw power from the forehand wing. Although the Greek will start as the overwhelming favorite in this one, Edmund is due a surprise win to get his season up and running.
Prediction: Edmund in 3
Nick Kyrgios vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-To-Head: First meeting
This will be such a dicey encounter, not because Mannarino will be dusting his socks off from his jubilant journey from Den Bosch to play at Queen’s, but more so because Kyrgios will be on the opposite side of the net. The mercurial Australian will play in his second tournament since the Rome Masters, where he was defaulted after throwing a chair and walking off court in the second round against Casper Ruud. The 24-year-old lost in his first match on grass at the Stuttgart Open, and he will be keen to include that defeat as a one-off especially now that he has point to prove. Kyrgios may benefit from playing a tired Mannarino, who won his first ATP tour title in his seventh final last weekend at the Libema Open. The Frenchman is bound to have weary legs in this one after investing so much energy in his triumphant week in the Netherlands.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 2
Milos Raonic vs Marco Cecchinato
Head-To-Head: Raonic 3-0 Cecchinato
Milos Raonic skipped the entire clay-court swing in a bid to return to full fitness for the grass season. The Canadian was nursing a knee injury that sidelined him for close to three months. However, his return was short-lived as Raonic suffered a back injury which forced him to withdraw from the Stuttgart Open, where he had reached the semifinals quite impressively–beating the likes of Tsonga and Fucsovics. He was scheduled to meet fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals before his withdrawal at the Mercedes Cup. Raonic’s opponent will be the Italian Marco Cecchinato, who has lost all three meetings against the former World #3, and his record on grass is tellingly terrible. If Raonic is fit, he should sail at a canter.
Prediction: Raonic in 2
Juan Martin Del Potro vs Denis Shapovalov
Head-To-Head: Del Potro 1-1 Shapovalov
Juan Martin del Potro will make his return to Queen’s Club for the first time since 2016. The Argentine has shared a positive update on his recovery from a right knee injur,y which limited him to play in just three tournaments before the French Open. He still gave a good account of himself on clay, making the quarterfinals in Rome (held multiple match points against Djokovic) and then reached the fourth round at the French Open.
The 30-year-old will face a stern test against Canadian Denis Shapovalo,v who quite famously won the Boys’ title at Wimbledon in 2016. Shapovalov’s semifinal run in Miami during the first quarter of 2019 compensates for what has been a very average season by his standards. He made the quarterfinals in Montpellier and Rotterdam, and reached the fourth round at Indian Wells. Amidst all of that, he has suffered a whopping seven first round defeats this year.
The 20-year-old’s cause has not been helped by the draw on his second outing on grass. Del Potro loves the switch from clay to grass, and unlike most players, he relishes the opportunity to adapt his game and play fast points. Despite playing very little tennis this year, the third seed should be far too solid for the Canadian youngster, who is having a hard time winning first round matches.
Prediction: Del Potro in 3
Main Photo:
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Disagree with our Queen’s Club Championships predictions? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
