A few first-round picks from Halle today, where the grass court season is finally underway. Tiafoe and Cobolli is the standout match, but there are some interesting storylines elsewhere too. Let's get into it.
Terra Wortmann Open Predictions
Flavio Cobolli vs Frances Tiafoe
Head-to-head: Cobolli 1-3 Tiafoe
Tiafoe's only loss in this H2H came on clay, and grass is a completely different conversation. His flat, aggressive ball-striking is built for fast surfaces and he gets a lot of free points on serve in conditions like these. Cobolli has had a strong year climbing to world number 10, but he's never really shown he can hurt top players on grass, and Tiafoe at his best on this surface is a handful for anyone.
Hard to see Cobolli troubling him here at all.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 2
Karen Khachanov vs Ethan Quinn
Head-to-head: Khachanov 1-0 Quinn
Quinn is a solid player and has been climbing the rankings steadily, but Khachanov's big serve and heavy forehand are exactly the kind of weapons that make life miserable for players still finding their feet on tour. The one prior meeting went Khachanov's way and there's no real reason to think this one goes differently.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
Joao Fonseca vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: First meeting
Fonseca is the obvious favorite here and the better player by most measures, but Hanfmann is a proper grass-court grinder, he's German, and he knows how to make things uncomfortable on this surface. That said, Fonseca has the talent to go deep in tournaments like this one, and the hype around him, especially after his run in Australia earlier this year, is very much deserved, but first meetings on grass against experienced opponents can go sideways fast. I think Fonseca gets through, but not without some trouble in at least one set, all things considered.
Prediction: Fonseca in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire