BARCLAYS TENNIS RACE FOR LONDON HEATS UP – GAEL MONFILS, DAVID GOFFIN, & R. BAUTISTA AGUT CONTINUE BATTLING FOR LONDON BIDS

Written by: Staff on 16th October 2016

BARCLAYS TENNIS RACE FOR LONDON HEATS UP - GAEL MONFILS, DAVID GOFFIN, & R. BAUTISTA AGUT CONTINUE BATTLING FOR LONDON BIDS

epa05574358 Gael Monfils of France returns the ball to Ivo Karlovic of Croatia during their men's quarter final match of the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan, 07 October 2016. EPA/KIYOSHI OTA |

By Ricky Dimon

A week of 250-point tournaments is now on the ATP schedule following the conclusion of the Asian swing. Interestingly, exactly three World Tour Finals hopefuls are in action—one at each of the three events. Gael Monfils is in a very good spot for a London berth as it stands right now, Roberto Bautista Agut surged into the mix thanks to a runner-up finish in Shanghai, and David Goffin may be able to steal the No. 8 spot from either Dominic Thiem or Rafael Nadal.

If Stockholm Open

Where: Stockholm, Sweden

Surface: Indoor hard

Top seed: Gael Monfils

2015 champion: Tomas Berdych (not playing)

Alexander Zverev of Germany in action against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during their second round match at the St. Petersburg Open ATP tennis tournament in St.Petersburg, Russia, 22 September 2016. EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV

A difficult top half features Monfils, Alexander Zverev, Steve Johnson, Jack Sock, Gilles Muller, and Dustin Brown. Muller and Brown have to square off in the opening round, with the winner possibly to meet Sock in round two and Monfils in the quarters. Zverev and Johnson could also collide in the quarterfinals and there is no reason why either one should lose prior to that stage based on their respective roads.

The big story in the bottom half of the bracket is an opening-round battle between Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner. They also faced each other in the Queen’s Club first round this summer, when Isner prevailed 7-6(2), 6-4. Del Potro has taken his comeback to new heights since then, though, and should probably be considered the favorite in his half to reach the Stockholm final. An in-form Grigor Dimitrov, who is the No. 2 seed, may have other ideas.

Semifinal picks: Alexander Zverev over Jack Sock and Grigor Dimitrov over Juan Martin Del Potro

Final: Zverev over Dimitrov

European Open

Where: Antwerp, Belgium

Surface: Indoor hard

Points: 250

Prize money: 566,525 Euros

Top seed: David Goffin

Defending champion: Inaugural event

David Goffin of Belgium hits a return to Marin Cilic of Croatia during the men’s singles semifinal match at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan, 08 October 2016. EPA/KIYOSHI OTA

A new event in Belgium should be perfect for Goffin, who is the No. 1 seed and will undoubtedly be the crowd favorite. He was red hot this spring and may have heated back up last week with a quarterfinal showing at the Shanghai Masters, which has him firmly in the World Tour Finals discussion. Although only 250 points are available in Antwerp, 250 would go a long way in Goffin’s effort to qualify for London. The world No. 12 should not have too much trouble reaching at least the title match this week.

With David Ferrer nearing the end of a rough year and Richard Gasquet having dealt with recent physical problems, the bottom half of the bracket appears to be more up for grabs. Shanghai semifinalist Gilles Simon may be more dangerous than either Ferrer and Gasquet, while unseeded floaters Mikhail Youzhny and Kyle Edmund are also playing stellar tennis these days. Ferrer’s opening match is likely to come against Edmund, while Simon and Gasquet could meet in the last eight.

Semifinal picks: David Goffin over Nicolas Mahut and Gilles Simon over David Ferrer

Final: Goffin over Simon

Kremlin Cup

Where: Moscow, Russia

Surface: Indoor hard

Top seed: Roberto Bautista Agut

2015 champion: Marin Cilic (not playing)

Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in action against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland during their semi-final match at the St. Petersburg Open ATP tennis tournament in St.Petersburg, Russia, 24 September 2016. EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV

Moscow is unquestionably the weakest of the three tournaments. Case in point: the four first-round bye recipients–Bautista Agut, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Viktor Troicki. Even if Bautista Agut is fatigued following his run to the Shanghai final, there may not be anyone to stop him. The Spaniard probably won’t have to play until Thursday, too, so that would give him plenty of time to recuperate.

A relatively tough top half of the draw includes Bautista Agut, Troicki, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Chengdu champion Karen Khachanov. Troicki stunned Rafael Nadal at the Shanghai Masters before bowing out to Bautista Agut, while Carreno Busta defeated Bautista Agut in the Winston-Salem final this summer. There are no clear favorites in the bottom half, as neither Ramos-Vinolas nor Kohlschreiber is in especially impressive form. Look for unseeded threats Fabio Fognini, Thomaz Bellucci, or Janko Tipsarevic to make some noise.

Semifinal picks: Roberto Bautista Agut over Viktor Troicki and Andrey Kuznetsov over Paolo Lorenzi

Final: Bautista Agut over Kuznetsov