WASHINGTON, D.C. TENNIS – “CITI OPEN”, RICKY DIMON GOES “ALL IN” OR “ALL OUT” ON HIS PICKS FOR 10SBALLS, D.C. DRAW HERE TOO

Written by: Staff on 17th July 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. TENNIS - "CITI OPEN", RICKY DIMON GOES "ALL IN" OR "ALL OUT" ON HIS PICKS FOR 10SBALLS, D.C. DRAW HERE TOO

epa05155560 Steve Johnson of the US hits a return shot to Taylor Fritz of the US in the second round of the Memphis Open tennis championship at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 11 February 2016. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Isner, Sock, Johnson among American contingent leading the charge at Citi Open

By Ricky Dimon

The Citi Open in Washington, D.C. may not be a part of the official U.S. Open Series, but it does begin the American hard-court building up to the year’s final Grand Slam. And even though this busy summer schedule also features the Davis Cup quarterfinals and the Olympics, Washington still boasts an impressive field. Three-time runner-up John Isner is the top seed ahead of Gael Monfils, Benoit Paire, Jack Sock, Alexander Zverev, Sam Querrey, and Grigor Dimitrov, just to name a few.

Ricky previews the tournament and makes his predictions.

Citi Open

Where: Washington, D.C.

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $1,629,475

Points: 500

Top seed: John Isner

2015 champion: Kei Nishikori (not playing)

Jon Isner of the USA in action against Andy Murray of Britain during their men’s single round of 16 match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 29 May 2016. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

Draw analysis: Isner should have only one thing on his mind this week: the title. Anything less would be a bit of a disappointment, given that he has been runner-up here three times and is coming off solid performances at the French Open (fourth round) and Wimbledon (third round, fell to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 19-17 in the fifth). So the 6’10’’ American will concern himself whom he has to face and when he has to face them in D.C. For whatever it’s worth, though, Isner’s draw is not an ideal one. An in-form Steve Johnson is a possible quarterfinal adversary and potential semifinal opponents emerging from a loaded second section of the bracket include Sock, Dimitrov, Bernard Tomic, and Ivo Karlovic.

Familiar foes Dimitrov and Sock are on a collision course for the third round. Dimitrov earned a couple of much-needed victories at the All-England Club and could open in D.C. with fellow third-round Wimbledon finisher Daniel Evans. Sock awaits either Lukas Lacko or Denis Shapovalov, who is partaking in an ATP-level tournament for the first time in his career. Karlovic’s first match may come in the form of a huge-serving affair with Sam Groth.

A weaker bottom half could benefit Querrey, who–of course–Wimbledon heroics at the expense of Novak Djokovic. After stunning the world No. 1 in the third round, Querrey eventually reached a slam quarterfinal for the first time. The American’s nearest seeds in D.C. are Monfils, Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Borna Coric, all of whom are in less than daunting form at the moment. Paire and Kevin Anderson are also struggling, so the door could also be open for Zverev and Gilles Muller. Zverev’s 2015 breakout featured a quarterfinal run at this tournament, with upsets of Anderson and Dolgopolov en route. The 19-year-old German took a late wild card into Washington after losing surprisingly early this past week in Hamburg.

First-round upset possibilities: (WC) Frances Tiafoe over Adrian Mannarino. As one of the most promising young Americans who grew up not far from D.C., Tiafoe naturally received a wild card into the D.C. main draw. Mannarino is in decent enough form this year, but he is not much more than solid performer who rarely beats himself. If Tiafoe plays up to his undeniable talent, this is a winnable match.

(WC) Dennis Shapovalov over Lukas Lacko. Both players made some noise at Wimbledon. From just about out of nowhere, Lacko advanced to the third round as a qualifier before losing to Marin Cilic. Shapovalov captured the singles title and finished runner-up in doubles with fellow Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime. This is a massive opportunity for Shapovalov to maintain momentum with his first ATP-level match win.

(PR) Brian Baker over Sam Groth. Baker finally scored his first ATP-level victory since the summer of 2013 when he defeated Austin Krajicek in Newport. Groth has been a disaster this year, with a 4-13 record. The huge-serving Aussie is dangerous on grass, but his confidence has to be low and Baker’s best shot is arguably his return.

Second-round upset possibilities: Yen-Hsun Lu over (2) Gael Monfils. Monfils got off to a strong start in 2016 but additional injuries and an illness that kept him out of the French Open have put a dent in his progress. Lu’s comeback from injuries of his own has picked up recent steam on the Challenger tour.

Ivan Dodig over (14) Gilles Muller. Both of these men will be making quick turnarounds after enduring different kinds of workloads this weekend. Dodig kept Croatia’s hopes alive in its Davis Cup tie at the United States by teaming up with Cilic to beat Bob and Mike Bryan. Muller’s grass-court hot streak continued with a final appearance in Newport (vs. Karlovic on Sunday).

Vasek Pospisil over (16) Borna Coric. Pospisil has been a disaster in 2016, and really ever since making a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year. The Canadian is a shocking 5-17 in 2016 and—adding insult to injury, or vice versa—he withdrew from Newport because of a back injury. But, if healthy, this is winnable. Coric has stalled this season and he got clobbered by Isner in a Davis Cup singles rubber on Friday.

Quarterfinal picks: John Isner over Steve Johnson, Jack Sock over Bernard Tomic, Alexander Zverev over Ivan Dodig, and Sam Querrey over Borna Coric

Semifinals: John Isner over Jack Sock and Alexander Zverev over Sam Querrey

Final: Isner over Zverev