PREVIEW: 2021 ATP Tour European Open – Selected Ro32 matches

ATP Tour 2021
ATP 250 Series
European Open
Antwerp, Belgium
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 19thOctober

Andy Murray 15/20 | Frances Tiafoe 21/20

Andy Murray just can’t catch a break when it comes down to these draws. The Scot actually won the title here in 2019. That was embraced as the potential catalyst to a true Murray comeback (he had just come back from his debilitating hip surgery). But further injuries and inconsistent form have really dogged him. But Murray can’t get a break with these draws. He reached the quarterfinals at the Moselle Open before losing to eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz. He then lost to eventual champion Casper Rudd in the round of 16 of the San Diego Open. He then ran into Alex Zverev in the round of 32 of Indian Wells. It was something of a grudge match after Murray had openly criticised Zverev about his domestic violence allegations. But he did push the German in a tight two-set match. You just have to ask yourself one question: what is he trying to achieve? The former World Number One has nothing left to prove. Does he really want to become a regular journeyman pro, scraping to get into the odd quarterfinal?

He will meet a familiar foe in the ultra-frustrating Frances Tiafoe. He burst onto the scene in 2018 with that Delray Beach victory. But the next great thing in American tennis just hasn’t really materialized. I feel that he doesn’t have quite enough variety in his game to regularly compete at the highest level. However, there have been a few positive results in 2021. He won a Challenger title in Nottingham and he has a really good fourth-round run at Flushing Meadows. In fact, he accounted for the impressive Andrey Rublev during the US Open. And that’s part of the frustration with Tiafoe. He clearly has the capacity to beat the top players. He also beat compatriot Seb Korda in last week’s Indian Wells Masters. But he will probably relish the chance to once again derail Andy Murray’s comeback dreams.

Verdict: Tiafoe to win in straight sets at 47/20

This will be the match that breaks their 1-1 head-to-head deadlock. Tiafoe won their last match in straight sets at Winston-Salem earlier this year. I think that Tiafoe could dominate this match. Murray may be starting to feel the physical strain of his recent battery of tournaments.

Llyod Harris 21/100 | Zizou Bergs 33/10

Llyod Harris has enjoyed an excellent season, surpassing Kevin Anderson to become the highest-ranked South African on the ATP Tour. Still yet to win his maiden ATP Tour title, Harris has still come on in leaps and bounds in 2021. He reached his maiden ATP 500 final in Dubai. He beat the likes of Shapovalov and Thiem in that event. More importantly, he enjoyed a fantastic two weeks in New York earlier this year. He reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows, impressing the world with his brutal service game. I think the key to his improvement this year has been behind the serve. He seems far more comfortable engaging in longer rallies.

His opponent this week will be hometown favourite Zizou Bergs. Bergs actually made his main draw debut last year as a wildcard, beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas. But he is yet to establish himself on the tour proper. Having said that, he has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign on the Challenger Tour in 2021. He won his debut event in March, claiming a title in St Petersburg. He then won a further two Challenger titles this year. However, he seems to be going through a rough patch at present. After losing in the 2nd round of US Open qualifying, he lost his next three matches on the Challenger Tour.

Verdict: Harris to win in three sets at 26/10

This will unsurprisingly be the first career meeting between these two. I think that Bergs may utilize the crowd to his advantage this year. This is the scene of his only main draw ATP victory. This could propel him to steal a set off Harris. That’s the only value that I can see in this encounter.