Washington qualifying finals today, with three matches to get through before the main draw spots are handed out, all under clear skies and a high of 85°F. Let's see who makes it through.
Citi Open Qualifying Predictions
Aleksandar Vukic vs Alex Bolt
Head-to-head: Vukic 1-0 Bolt
Vukic leads their only meeting, and nothing about Bolt's recent form suggests a different result this time around. At ranking 167, Bolt has been drifting down the rankings for a while now and hard courts have never really been his surface, even when he was playing his best tennis.
Vukic has been solid enough at this level to justify his top-100 ranking and should be the better player on the day. I think this one goes three sets just because Bolt tends to compete, but Vukic gets the job done.
Prediction: Vukic in 3
Marcos Giron vs Andre Ilagan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Giron is a player who's been firmly in the top 100 for a couple of years now and knows how to handle qualifying pressure, having been through it plenty of times before. Ilagan is ranked 248th and hard to see this being competitive at all.
Giron wins this comfortably.
Prediction: Giron in 2
Martin Damm vs Abedallah Shelbayh
Head-to-head: First meeting
Damm is another player ranked solidly inside the top 110, and Shelbayh at 261 is a big ask for a qualifying final on a hard court in Washington heat. That said, Shelbayh is a young player who's been making noise on the Challenger circuit, so I feel like he makes this competitive even if he ultimately falls short.
Damm gets through, should still find a way to get through here, all things considered.
Prediction: Damm in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Stephane Thomas/ZUMA Press Wire