One match to preview from the Stuttgart qualifying today, and it's an interesting one. Davidovich Fokina is the higher-ranked player coming in, but this is grass, and that changes things considerably.
Boss Open Stuttgart Predictions
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Mattia Bellucci
Head-to-head: Fokina 1-1 Bellucci
ADF is a clay guy through and through. He's had moments on other surfaces but grass is genuinely his worst and coming into a qualifying round here rather than the main draw tells you where his form is right now. Bellucci, on the other hand, has shown real comfort on fast surfaces and his big serve plays up nicely on grass, which is exactly the kind of weapon that matters most at this stage of the surface transition.
The head-to-head is level at one apiece, so no real edge either way there. That said, I feel like the surface is doing a lot of the work in Bellucci's favor here, and if ADF isn't moving well laterally and finding that topspin game, he can look quite ordinary on grass. Bellucci should be able to hold comfortably and create enough chances on return to take this in three, all things considered.
Prediction: Bellucci in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Oscar J. Barroso/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire