The ATP’s tournament at Queen’s Club, named the Aegon Championships, moves into the second round, as does the tournament in Halle, Germany, at the Gerry Weber Open. With that, so do our tennis picks. While we had a rough go of things on Tuesday, we bounced back on Wednesday with a 3-0 day. We cashed with Marin Cilic, who was taking on Janko Tipsarevic and had no problems. He won the match 7-6, 6-4. We also had Roger Federer in what we thought might be a dicey setup for him, but he tossed aside Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6. Lastly, we had Dominic Thiem to beat Joao Sousa and that’s exactly how things played out. Thiem took care of business in straight sets, winning 7-5, 6-4.
Looking ahead to Thursday, these two ATP 500 tournaments still have their biggest stars in the round of 16, and they’ll be in action on Thursday along with other performers. Andy Murray and Roger Federer should both cruise into the quarterfinals, so let’s look at other matches on Thursday’s card:
HALLE SECOND ROUND: Dominic Thiem vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili
There is no doubt that aside from Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem has been the other big winner on the ATP Tour this season – not the second-best player (Andy Murray), but the second-best winner. Thiem has won almost 50 matches so far this year, putting him in the same company as Djokovic. A lot of the wins have come in lower-level tournaments, but Thiem did make the French Open semifinals, and he’s won seven titles in the past 13 months, which is very impressive for a young player no matter how you look at it. He might run out of gas at some point, but is Gabashvilli – long a player who loses in the first or second rounds of tournaments – the guy who is likely to knock him off? The run for Thiem might end, but it probably won’t end just yet – not on Thursday against Gabashvili. Go with Thiem for your tennis picks.
Pick: Thiem in straight sets
QUEEN’S CLUB SECOND ROUND: Milos Raonic vs. Jiri Vesely
This should be a straightforward match. Raonic just defeated Nick Kyrgios in a match which was suspended Tuesday night and resumed Wednesday afternoon. Being able to survive that tough match (and equally tough first-round draw) should both relax and motivate Raonic for the road ahead. He should be very confident about his game and his chances. He should be able to serve in a very relaxed way and feel complete comfort whenever he’s serving. If he gets into one or two tiebreakers, he should be able to do exactly what he wants. It is true that Vesely upset Djokovic in the first round of Monte Carlo, but that was a match Djokovic played less than two full weeks after winning Miami. Djokovic was tired, much as he was when he lost the Rome final to Andy Murray a month ago. Vesely has not done anything since that win over Djokovic to show that he’s a next-level player. Raonic is clearly the right choice for your tennis picks.
Pick: Raonic in straight sets
QUEEN’S CLUB SECOND ROUND: John Isner vs. Gilles Muller
This is a matchup in which you should expect tons of aces and service holds, and very likely at least two tiebreakers, three if the two men split the first two tiebreakers. It should be that type of a close matchup.
Muller is always a dangerous player on grass, and he should be able to force tiebreakers here, but Isner has the better serve which is more likely to hold up in a tiebreak. Isner’s ability to beat Juan Martin Del Potro on Wednesday should give him the confidence he needs to win on Thursday. We had Del Potro in that matchup and expected it to be a closer contest. However, Isner really shined and took care of business rather easily, winning in straight sets. If he can control Del Potro like that, he should also do the same with Muller. Take Isner with your tennis picks.
Pick: Isner in three sets
