DAVID FERRER & JO-WILLIE TSONGA AMONG THOSE IN ACTION AS AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2016 APPROACHES – CHECK OUT RICKY’S TENNIS PICKS

Written by: Staff on 11th January 2016

DAVID FERRER & JO-WILLIE TSONGA AMONG THOSE IN ACTION AS AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2016 APPROACHES - CHECK OUT RICKY'S TENNIS PICKS |

We’ve got an awesome fact to start day 2 of the men’s #asbclassic. 14 of the top 30 players in the world are playing this week and 10 of them are here in Auckland! That makes for a pretty top notch field! – Photo by @asbclassic via Instagram.

By Ricky Dimon

One week down in the 2016 ATP season; one week to go until the Australian Open.

Auckland and Sydney may lack the star power of the previous events (which featured Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in Doha, Roger Federer in Brisbane, and Stan Wawrinka in Chennai), but the tournaments this week still boast strong fields—especially by the standards of events that immediately preceding Grand Slams. Among those in action are David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kevin Anderson, Bernard Tomic, and Grigor Dimitrov.

ASB Classic

Look no further than the unseeded contingent to realize the kind of depth that this Auckland field boasts. Among the dangerous floaters are Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Jack Sock, Vasek Pospisil, Donald Young, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and defending champion Jiri Vesely. Ferrer may be in the favorite as the only top 10 player in the draw, but he will by no means have an easy time of things. The Spaniard could have a quarterfinal date with Chennai semifinalist Benoit Paire. Anderson, Garcia-Lopez, Sock, and Pospisil are also in the top half.

#Ferrer signs autographs for fans at @asbclassic. Photo: Photosport.nz #ATP #tennis #Auckland – Photo by @atpworldtour via Instagram.

@tsongaofficiel takes in the view at the #SkyTower in #Auckland before serving up a tasty treat. #ATP #tennis #asbclassic #Tsonga – Photo by @atpworldtour via Instagram.

Isner and Tsonga are on a semifinal collision course on the other side. Neither, of course, is any kind of lock to make it that far. Tsonga is once again a huge question mark due to recent physical problems and his second-round match following a bye is likely to come against Kohlschreiber. Isner awaits either fellow American and occasional doubles partner Sam Querrey (Isner is playing with Lukas Rosol this week) or Chennai semifinalist Aljaz Bedene. Vesely, Young, and Roberto Bautista Agut are also contenders in the bottom half.

Semifinal predictions: David Ferrer over Jack Sock and John Isner over Joao Sousa

Final: Ferrer over Isner

Apia International

Tournaments immediately preceding Grand Slams often produce surprising results and certainly more than a fair share of unexpected champions. While Vesely triumphed in Auckland, Viktor Troicki lifted the Sydney winner’s trophy as a qualifier. More of the same could be in the offing because this title looks completely up for grabs. The Sydney field is laced with parity, as the top seed (Tomic) is ranked only 18th in the world and the eight seeds are separated by a mere 18 ranking spots (No. 8 Alexandr Dolgopolov is 36th).

The bottom half of the draw is especially intriguing. Dolgopolov led Ukraine to a runner-up showing at the Hopman Cup and Coric is also coming off a grueling week, as he reached the Chennai final before succumbing to Wawrinka. Dolgopolov and Dimitrov could go head-to-head in the quarterfinals. Coric has a tough road with Gilles Muller right off the bat and Dominic Thiem waiting in round two. Tomic and Troicki own the byes on the other side and have to be considered clear favorites to reach the semis.

Semifinals: Bernard Tomic over Viktor Troicki and Jeremy Chardy over Grigor Dimitrov

Final: Tomic over Chardy