Day three at the Washington Open will see the completion of the round of 32. A number of star names including top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson will be in action. But who will book their place in the third round in D.C.?
Washington Open Day Three Predictions
Kevin Anderson vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: Anderson 7-2 Mannarino
South Africa’s Anderson, the world #11, has endured a difficult year with shoulder and elbow problems having restricted him to just 15 matches so far in 2019. But he has won 11 of them, picking up the title at the Maharashtra Open in Pune in January. And his game is well-suited to the hard courts of North America thanks to his thunderous first serve and penetrating groundstrokes. He has also dominated his rivalry with the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, winning seven of their nine matches.
That includes four straight wins at tour-level, with Mannarino’s last win coming in 2012 in the first round in Auckland. That said, the world #66, who won his first tour-level title in Den Bosch in June, is always a tricky opponent and looked sharp in beating Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in the first round. He covers the court well and will give little away. He does, however, lack weapons. Anderson assuredly does not and should have enough power to hit through Mannarino.
Prediction: Anderson in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Milos Raonic vs Tim Smyczek
Head-to-head: Raonic 2-0 Smyczek
Milos Raonic will doubtless be frustrated with how his year has progressed. The opportunity to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals that he squandered, having been up two sets against the Argentine Guido Pella in the fourth round, will surely be particularly painful. But back in North America, he should feel confident about his chances of putting together a strong two months. His game is well-suited to these courts and it is hard to see Tim Smyczek coming up with an effective answer to Raonic’s power. Expect the Canadian to make it a hattrick of victories of Smyczek.
Prediction: Raonic in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Jordan Thompson
Head-to-head: first meeting
Jan-Lennard Struff has quietly put together a very impressive season, highlighted by a run to the fourth round at the French Open, where it took top seed Novak Djokovic to stop him. But he will need to be at his big-hitting best up against the tenacious Jordan Thompson, who dismantled Jack Sock 6-3 7-5 in the first round. The Australian Thompson is a fine athlete with an impressively solid game. But he cannot match Struff’s power. And the German should have plenty of opportunities to unleash that power on the medium-paced courts at the Washington Open.
Prediction: Struff in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Reilly Opelka
Head-to-head: first meeting
This seems certain to be but the first instalment of a rivalry that will play an important role in shaping the next decade in men’s tennis. Auger-Aliassime has had a superb year, rather eclipsing his struggling countryman Denis Shapovalov, winning 28 matches and reaching two finals. His serve is an impressive weapon, but particularly effective is his topspin heavy forehand and the athleticism he displays in covering the court.
Against the giant Reilly Opelka he will need all that athleticism and possibly some more. Unsurprisingly, the 6’11 American’s serve is the centrepiece of his game, but he can do plenty of damage off the ground as well. He showed as much in dispatching his countryman Christopher Eubanks in straight sets in the first round. He does, however, lack mobility and that is a weakness that Auger-Aliassime has the quality to exploit, though Opelka’s serve will ensure that it is not a straightforward outing for the Canadian.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 3
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
