Nestled in West Kensington in London, the ATP Queen’s Club Championships is one of the premier grass court tournaments in the run-up to Wimbledon. Monday sees the beginning of the main draw, as the ATP’s stars get acclimated to the sport’s most unique surface, one of the great levelers in tennis. Who do you think will win? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
ATP Queen’s Club Day 1 Predictions
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Head to head: 1-0 Ramos-Vinolas
A contest of two Spaniards best known for their exploits on clay, with neither man having much pedigree on grass at the ATP Tour level. Davidovich Fokina actually won the boy’s singles at Wimbledon in 2017, but has only played the men’s event once, crashing out in the first round last year. The veteran Ramos-Vinolas, meanwhile, has never made it past the third round of SW19 in eight attempts and has likely hit his ceiling on this surface. With his acute drop shots and all-round court movement, it’s the younger Davidovich Fokina who has the edge.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 2
Taylor Fritz vs Jack Draper
Head to head: First meeting
Not much has been heard of Jack Draper since he took a set from Novak Djokovic in the first round of Wimbledon last year, but the highly touted British youngster will celebrate his first week in world’s Top 100. He has a tough contest against the American #4 seed, whose big serving and powerful all-round game make him a threat on any service. Fritz’s grass court debut this year ended in a three-set loss to Tim van Rijthoven at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships–an upset that now looks better after the Dutch wild card won the tournament. All considered, Fritz should have the firepower to get over the line here.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Liam Broady vs Marin Cilic
Head to head: First meeting
A two-time champion and a two-time finalist here, #7 seed Cilic has the best grass resume out of everyone in the tournament. After his superb run to the semifinals in Roland-Garros, the popular Croat will be looking to hit the ground running hard here. Frankly, it would be a mighty surprise if he failed to beat the wild card Broady, whose career has never quite lived up to the promise he once showed in the juniors. The involvement of the home crowd may make it interesting, but Cilic will be a hard nut to crack.
Prediction: Cilic in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
