10SBALLS SHARES RICKY’S PICKS FOR THE QUEEN’S CLUB TENNIS AND HALLE CHAMPIONSHIPS: MURRAY VS. RAONIC, ZVEREV VS. MAYER

Written by: Staff on 18th June 2016

10SBALLS SHARES RICKY'S PICKS FOR THE QUEEN'S CLUB TENNIS AND HALLE CHAMPIONSHIPS: MURRAY VS. RAONIC, ZVEREV VS. MAYER

epa05370034 Canada's Milos Raonic returns to Czech Republic's Jiri Vesely in a second round match at the Aegon Tennis Championships at the Queen's Club in London, Britain, 16 June 2016. The ATP World Tour 500 Tournament takes place from 13 to 19 June 2016. EPA/HANNAH MCKAY |

Ricky’s picks for the Queen’s Club and Halle finals: Murray vs. Raonic, Zverev vs. Mayer

By Ricky Dimon

It will be a tale of two very different final matchups when titles are played for on Sunday in London, England and Halle, Germany. At the AEGON Championships, No. 1 seed Andy Murray is going up against third-seeded Milos Raonic in a showdown that many anticipated before the tournament even began. On the other hand, the Gerry Weber Open features an all-unseeded contest between Germans Alexander Zverev and Florian Mayer.

Ricky previews the action and makes his predictions.

AEGON Championships: (1) Andy Murray vs. (3) Milos Raonic

Murray and Raonic will be facing each other for the ninth time in their careers and for the third time this year when they collide again in the Queen’s Club final on Sunday. Murray is out in front of the head-to-head series 5-3, including 4-0 in their last four meetings. He got the job done 6-3, 7-5 at the 2014 World Tour Finals, 6-4, 7-5 on the clay of Madrid last season, in five sets at the most recent Australian Open, and by a dominant 6-2, 6-0 this spring in Monte-Carlo.

Britain’s Andy Murray in action against Croatia’s Marin Cilic during their semi final match at the Aegon Tennis Championships at the Queen’s Club in London, Britain, 18 June 2016. EPA/HANNAH MCKAY

Even though Murray is stellar on grass, the surface should give Raonic a decent chance. The Canadian, of course, wields a massive serve and he also does a better job of constructing short points on faster surfaces. So far this week Raonic has defeated Nick Kyrgios, Jiri Vesely, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Bernard Tomic, dropping only his first set to Kyrgios in the process. Murray is one victory away from what would be a record fifth title at Queen’s Club. The world No. 2 has advanced with defeats of Nicolas Mahut, Aljaz Bedene, Kyle Edmund, and Marin Cilic.

In recent times, Murray’s return has gotten the best of Raonic’s serve. Playing with home-court advantage in Great Britain, more of the same should continue for the crowd favorite.

Pick: Murray in 3

Gerry Weber Open: Alexander Zverev vs. (PR) Florian Mayer

Zverev and Mayer will be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they battle for the Halle title on Sunday. This is Mayer’s first final appearance since Bucharest in 2011. Toiling down at No. 192 in the world mainly due to injuries, Mayer had won just 15 ATP-level matches since the start of 2014 when he began this week. But the former world No. 18 is through to his sixth title match following straight-set scalps of Brian Baker, Andreas Seppi, and Dominic Thiem (he also benefited from a second-round walkover given to him by Kei Nishikori).

Florian Mayer of Germany in action during the semi final match against Dominic Thiem of Austria at the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, 18 June 2016. EPA/FRISO GENTSCH

Zverev upset eight-time champion Roger Federer 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3 in the semis. It was Federer’s sixth setback in 60 Halle matches and just his third in his last 49 matches. Zverev preceded that breakthrough result by ousting Viktor Troicki, Benjamin Becker, and Marcos Baghdatis.

Although the 19-year-old German is an obvious favorite on paper at 38th in the rankings, he has never won an ATP title. Mayer has one winner’s trophy to his credit (Bucharest, 2011) and has the experience of five previous finals. His funky style of play may be too frustrating for a young opponent who must regroup mentally after such a big win over Federer.

Pick: Mayer in 3