The grass season is here, and we've got three picks from the opening round of qualifying at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch. All three favorites carry clear ranking advantages, but grass qualifying is always a little unpredictable early in the season when nobody's quite found their footing yet. Let's get into it.
Libema Open Predictions
Chak Lam Coleman Wong vs James McCabe
Head-to-head: First meeting
Wong is ranked well over 100 spots above McCabe and has been on the tour long enough to know how to handle a grass qualifying match. McCabe is young and has shown flashes on the Challenger circuit, but this is a tough ask at this level on a surface where neither player has a long track record. First meetings on grass tend to favor the player with the cooler head and Wong's experience should count for something here.
I think this one goes three, just because early-season grass is unpredictable and McCabe won't have nothing to offer, but Wong gets through.
Prediction: Wong in 3
Martin Damm vs Max Houkes
Head-to-head: First meeting
Houkes is a Dutch wild card type playing in front of a home crowd, which always adds a wrinkle, but Damm is ranked 120 spots above him and has been a solid performer on the Challenger circuit this season. Hard to see this being competitive at all. Grass suits the serve-heavy game that Damm brings, and a comfortable two-set win feels right here.
Prediction: Damm in 2
Benjamin Bonzi vs Marc Polmans
Head-to-head: Bonzi 1-0 Polmans
Bonzi is the highest-ranked player of the three favorites and comes in with an H2H lead already banked. Polmans is ranked 347th and hasn't been a consistent presence on tour for a while now, and the ranking gap here is just too wide to ignore. That said, Bonzi's aggressive ball-striking translates well to grass and he should have enough to close this out without too much drama, all things considered.
Prediction: Bonzi in 2
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