The ATP’s Houston tournament watched all of its Tuesday matches get washed out due to heavy rains. That’s where we ‘ll pick up our tennis picks.
The first round therefore remains uncompleted and will be rounded out on Wednesday, weather permitting. On Tuesday, we’ll see a total of nine tennis matches – assuming the weather cooperates. That includes Horacio Zeballos, who will take on Rogerio Dutra Silva as well as the following: Jared Donaldson-Maximo Gonzalez, Kevin Anderson-Fernando Verdasco, Donald Young-Thiago Monteiro, Leonardo Mayer-Adam Pavlasek, Thomaz Bellucci-Frances Tiafoe, Hyeon Chung-Victor Estrella, Ernesto Escobedo-Tennys Sandgren, Bjorn Fratangelo-Feliciano Lopez. With that menu to choose from, here are our tennis picks for the day.
Fernando Verdasco vs. Kevin Anderson
The game of Kevin Anderson is suited for grass and fast hardcourts. Anderson has a huge serve and a generally aggressive game, but his groundstrokes are not overwhelming. He doesn’t have a devastating forehand the way a lot of other players on tour possess. He tries to gain leverage with his serve and make well-placed, angled approach shots so that he can bring his big frame to the net and close down points with volleys, using his long reach to cut off passing shots.
On clay, these weapons and this general approach are not nearly as effective. Any approach shot doesn’t speed through the court and rob his opponent of added time. The clay court slows up the shot and gives the opponent more time to set up the passing shot before Anderson can establish himself at the net.
Then consider the fact that the rains in Houston on Tuesday have likely slowed the courts to a certain degree. The slower the surface, the harder it is to expect Anderson to have the comfort zone he needs on serve to play the match the way he likes it. Verdasco has to be seen as the better choice here – not a lock, but the percentage play. Verdasco is the better choice for your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Verdasco in three sets
Feliciano Lopez vs. Bjorn Fratangelo
This should be a close match, because Lopez plays serve-and-volley tennis and will have to adjust to the slow clay surface which does not favor his game. The saving grace for Lopez, though, is that Fratangelo is an unexplosive player with an unremarkable game and equally modest career credentials. Lopez might struggle with the surface more than the opponent, but the point remains that this match won’t be easy. In the end, though, drawing a favorable opponent should probably be enough to steer him through to the next round in Houston. Lopez knows how to win professional matches a lot more than Fratangelo does. Fratangelo playing in the United States, his home country, probably won’t be enough to lift him to the upset in this case. Take Lopez with your tennis picks in this matchup.
Pick: Lopez in three sets
Leonardo Mayer vs. Adam Pavlasek
This is a matchup in which Mayer, a former top-30 player from Argentina, should be able to use his familiarity on clay to his advantage. He has not enjoyed the most fruitful period of his career over the past few years, but whether or not he will enjoy a resurgence is a much bigger question compared to whether he’ll beat Adam Pavlasek. Mayer hasn’t had much success on the main tour draw in recent years but he has played well in other events. He’s 7-3 overall in other events this year and was 16-7 on the clay courts in non-main tour draws last year. He should be able to handle this matchup without too much stress.
As for the Czech, he has knocked around the challenger circuit and has risen to a career high of No. 72 in the rankings. He is still in a stage of his career where he is learning how to win. Mayer, for all his struggles, knows how to win and should not be troubled by this particular opponent in this situation. Mayer is the better option for your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Mayer in straight sets
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