We take a look at two of the most potentially exciting round of 64 matches from the ATP Tour’s Cincinnati Open taking place on Tuesday 14 August.
Borna Coric 5/10 | Danil Medvedev 15/10
This could be a scintillating clash of two baseline specialists who tend to play their best tennis on the harder courts. Danil Medvedev is at the vanguard of a group of talented Russian tennis players that is yet to really break through in a major way- see also Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov. Medvedev is coming off of a Round of 16 showing in the Canadian Open and a decent Round of 32 performance at Wimbledon. Medvedev has a shocking clay-court season that really exemplified his preference for the hardcourts. He won the Sydney International in a magnificent start to the campaign. He also managed a quarter-final run on the hardcourts of Rotterdam. The 22-year-old also reached the final of the Chennai Open last season and won’t be a pushover on these Cincinnati hardcourts.
Serbian Borna Coric has enjoyed a rollercoaster season that has been in a state of steady decline of late. The 21-year-old would-be successor to Djokovic’s mantle enjoyed a fabulous early season on the American hardcourts. He reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells and quarter-finals in Miami in what was a hugely encouraging ‘Sunshine Double’. Like Medvedev, he somewhat struggled to find his traction on the clay. A Round of 16 finish in Madrid was his best offering in Nadal’s realm. He then surprised everyone with a terrific victory on the Halle grass-courts. But since then he has really struggled and he will be hoping that a return to the American hardcourts will potentially reinvigorate his season.
The two share a 1-1 head-to-head record. Coric won their first meeting at the NextGen Finals last season. But of far more relevance is their last meeting. Medvedev obliterated Coric in straight sets in their opening round match at Wimbledon. And that was on the back of Coric’s success in Halle. 15/10 for Medvedev looks like excellent value considering that result and Coric’s lacklustre recent form.
Stefanos Tsitsipas 14/10 | David Goffin 11/20
I’m writing this in a slight state of deja-vu after previewing their last meeting in Washington. 19-year-old Tsitsipas is the current flavour of the week on the ATP circuit. A tremendous run to the finals of the Rogers Cup last week further pronounced his arrival on the big time. Gruelling victories over Zverev and Anderson may lead some to question his physical preparedness this week. But Tsitsipas has already shown the ability to back up deep runs. After reaching the final in Barcelona he went on to reach the semi-finals in Estoril. What has impressed me most about the Greek has been his versatility on all courts. An ostensible clay-court specialist, Tsitsipas also reached the final 16 at Wimbledon. His serve is getting bigger and it won’t be long until he finds himself in the ATP Top 10.
David Goffin is the little engine that almost could. His season has once again been the epitome of unremarkable consistency. He reached the semi-finals at Rotterdam and the Open Sud de France before his best result in Barcelona. He reached the semi-finals in a highly competitive field. Since then things haven’t really happened for the Belgian. A quarter-final in Rome is the best post-Barcelona result he has shown. Goffin is one of those players who could be left behind with the likes of Tsitsipas emerging so rapidly. He does love a faster surface, as exemplified with his performance at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals last year.
While the odds favour Goffin here, I can’t see any real reason why. Not only is Tsitsipas the in-form player, he also holds a superior head-to-head record over Goffin. Tsitsipas leads that stat 2-1, including a recent victory in Washington. As I mentioned earlier, there may be a school of thought that Tsitsipas could be jaded following his exertions in Canada. But I’m of the mind that the young Greek has the stamina necessary to once again defeat Goffin this week. And at 14/10 he makes a far more attractive proposition than the perennial contender Goffin.
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