Stuttgart qualifying kicks off today and we've got three picks from the grass courts to preview. Grass is always a bit of a lottery this early in the season, with players still finding their footing after the clay swing, so let's see who's moving through.
Boss Open Stuttgart Qualifying Predictions
Sho Shimabukuro vs Stefanos Sakellaridis
Head-to-head: Shimabukuro 0-1 Sakellaridis
Sakellaridis actually has the H2H lead here, which is a little surprising given the ranking gap, but Shimabukuro is the higher-ranked player by nearly 100 spots and that tends to matter more than a single previous result. Grass should suit Shimabukuro's game well enough and I think the ranking difference tells the real story over three sets.
Prediction: Shimabukuro in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs Mert Alkaya
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sonego is comfortably the best player in these three matches and honestly has no business being in qualifying at a 250 event. He's beaten top-ten players on grass before and Alkaya, ranked 321 in the world, is going to find this very difficult. Hard to see this being competitive at all.
Prediction: Sonego in 2
Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs Daniil Glinka
Head-to-head: First meeting
Herbert is ranked 45 spots below Glinka, which makes this one a little tricky on paper. That said, Herbert has real grass-court pedigree, having won Wimbledon doubles titles, a surface where experience counts for a lot, and spent plenty of time competing at the top level on this surface. Glinka is the higher-ranked player but grass is a different world, and I feel like Herbert's experience here is the deciding factor over three sets, all things considered.
Prediction: Herbert in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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