Three picks from the Rome qualifying draw today, and there's actually a couple of interesting ones in here. Let's get into it.
Italian Open Qualifying Predictions
Patrick Kypson vs Titouan Droguet
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kypson is ranked a bit higher but Droguet has been the more consistent performer on clay this season, and on a slow Roman surface that rewards patience, the Frenchman's game tends to click. Kypson isn't a natural clay courter and this feels like a tricky spot for him in a first-round qualifier.
Prediction: Droguet in 3
Cristian Garin vs Jan Choinski
Head-to-head: Garin 1-0 Choinski
On paper Garin should win this. He's a former top-20 clay specialist, and Choinski is ranked 37 spots below him. But Garin has been a shadow of his best self for a couple of years now and hasn't strung together a convincing run on any surface recently. Choinski is a grinder who makes you earn every point and if Garin's level dips at all in the third, this one slips away from him.
Prediction: Choinski in 3
Pablo Carreno-Busta vs Stan Wawrinka
Head-to-head: Wawrinka 3-1 Carreno-Busta
The head-to-head favors Wawrinka, and there's always that feeling with Stan that he can produce something special on clay in Rome specifically. That said, he's 39 and coming back from years of knee trouble, and the ranking tells you where his game actually is right now. Hard to see this being competitive at all. Carreno-Busta isn't in great form either, but he's the more reliable option at this stage of their careers and the slow conditions suit his heavy baseline game well enough to get through here, all things considered.
Prediction: Carreno-Busta in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Fares Chafai/ZUMA Press Wire