A couple of interesting ones to preview from the HSBC Championships qualifying in London today. De Minaur and Diallo is the headline match, but the Humbert-Cilic clash might actually be the more unpredictable of the two given where both players are right now.
HSBC Championships Predictions
Alex De Minaur vs Gabriel Diallo
Head-to-head: Minaur 2-0 Diallo
De Minaur is a grass-court player through and through and the speed he gets around the court makes him genuinely difficult to break down on this surface. Diallo has the serve and the frame to be dangerous, but he's yet to find his footing against De Minaur in two attempts, and there's nothing in the matchup that suggests a third time's the charm.
De Minaur wins this comfortably.
Prediction: Minaur in 2
Ugo Humbert vs Marin Cilic
Head-to-head: Humbert 1-0 Cilic
The ranking gap here tells you nothing useful. Humbert is down at 128 in the world right now, well below his best, and Cilic at 47 is the one with the more solid recent form coming in. Cilic's grass-court pedigree is real, a Wimbledon finalist and someone who knows exactly how to use his serve and forehand on this surface, and that experience counts for a lot in qualifying.
That said, Humbert did beat Cilic in their only previous meeting, but I feel like this is a different situation entirely. Cilic in three.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Oscar Manuel Sanchez/ZUMA Press Wire