Munich qualifying finals today, and we've got three matches to get through before the main draw takes shape. All three feel pretty clear on paper, but clay has a way of making things interesting. Let's see who punches through.
BMW Open Munich Qualifying Predictions
Emilio Nava vs Alex Molcan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Molcan was once a real force on clay, reaching a career high around the 50s and beating some decent players on the surface, but he's been sliding for a while now and sitting at 163 is not where he expected to be at this stage of his career. Nava, on the other hand, has been quietly building and cracking the top 100 is a real marker of progress for him.
This is a first meeting, so there's no history to lean on, but the ranking gap tells a reasonable story here and Nava should have enough to close this out on a surface that won't hurt him, all things considered.
Prediction: Nava in 2
Marc-Andrea Huesler vs Marko Topo
Head-to-head: Huesler 2-0 Topo
Huesler owns this matchup and hard to see this being competitive at all. He's beaten Topo twice already and Topo, despite being ranked slightly higher right now, hasn't done anything recently to suggest he's turned a corner. Huesler has had his own struggles dropping to 283, but familiarity counts for something and he's the one who knows how to win this particular match.
Prediction: Huesler in 2
Diego Dedura vs Sumit Nagal
Head-to-head: First meeting
Nagal had a nice run a couple of years back and cracked the top 70, but he's been drifting since and 287 is a tough place to be when you're trying to qualify into ATP clay events. Dedura at 258, a ranking that feels about right given his recent results, isn't lighting the world on fire either, but I feel like he's the steadier option here on clay and the slight ranking edge matters less than form in qualifying rounds like this.
That said, this one probably goes three sets, which is why the prediction is what it is, but Dedura gets there.
Prediction: Dedura in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Kobe Li/Nexpher Images via ZUMA Press Wire