10SBALLS SHARES RICKY’S PICKS AND PREVIEW FOR THE NOTTINGHAM TENNIS FINAL: CUEVAS VS. JOHNSON

Written by: Staff on 24th June 2016

10SBALLS SHARES RICKY'S PICKS AND PREVIEW FOR THE NOTTINGHAM TENNIS FINAL: CUEVAS VS. JOHNSON |

By Ricky Dimon

ATP events of the 250-point variety in the weeks immediately preceding Grand Slams often produce unexpected results, and that is certainly the case at the AEGON Open. Although it will be an all-seeded title match on Saturday, few could have expected Pablo Cuevas and Steve Johnson to be the last men standing. After all, Cuevas had previously won just two ATP-level matches on grass in his entire career and Johnson is still in search of his first ATP title.

Saturday’s final will mark the first head-to-head showdown between Cuevas and Johnson.

Cuevas is the more experienced of the two contestants and owns five career ATP titles, but it is safe to say none of those triumphs has come on the green stuff. The Uruguayan has tripled his grass-court win total from two to six thanks to defeats of Stephane Robert, Daniel Evans, Marcos Baghdatis, and an in-form Gilles Muller. Cuevas had to survive a trio of three-setters along the way, beating only Robert in straight sets during second-round action.

“Yesterday and today, I beat some really good players on this surface,” Cuevas said. “Gilles’ game is perfect for this surface. I’m so happy to win and it fills me with confidence. I’ve done a lot of work on grass. Now I move better and feel much more comfortable. This is my first time playing three or four matches in a week on grass and the feeling is good.”

Johnson was required to play two matches on Friday to secure his place in the final. Resuming his quarterfinal tilt against Kevin Anderson at 3-4 in the third set, Johnson finished off the No. 1 seed 6-4. The American came right back out and dismissed Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals. Johnson preceded those wins with straight-set victories over John Millman and Vasek Pospisil.

@pablocuevas86 and @steviej345 will battle Saturday for the #AegonOpen title! @britishtennis #ATP #tennis #Cuevas #Johnson – Photo by @atpworldtour via Instagram.

“I’m very happy to reach my second final and first on grass,” the world No. 38 commented. “I liked the way I kept my composure and came back from the darkness delay…. Pablo’s played an outstanding tournament so it’s hopefully going to be a great match and I’m going to be a bit more comfortable in my second final than I was in my first.”

In addition to an increased level of comfort in this situation, the simple fact is that Johnson has been the undisputed best player so far in Nottingham. Throw the grass-court surface into the equation–even though Cuevas is clearly improving on it–and the No. 6 seed should be in line for the biggest moment of his professional career.

Johnson in 3 sets

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs, Aegon Open, Nottingham, Pablo Cuevas, Ricky Dimon, Stevie Johnson, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

June 25, 2016 at 12:35 am

RT @10sBalls_com: -@Dimonator’s Picks And Preview For The #Nottingham #Tennis Final: Cuevas vs. Johnson
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