After the wonderful sunshine double in the United States, the tennis world (ATP) now hits the clay for the next couple of months, and one of the tournaments this week takes place in Houston, Texas. Most of the players down in Houston are American, which means it’s a great chance for local tennis fans to check out the players who are at the top of American Tennis as well as the future. Americans haven’t had much success on clay over the 20 years, this could be the year we see one or two Americans post some very strong results on the dirt for the ATP.
Daniel Elahi Galan(-178) vs. Mackenzie Mcdonald(+144)–> Prediction: Galan
The American is one of the most solid players on tour, but that doesn’t mean consistent. Since the end of the American hard court swing last year, it has been tough sledding for Mcdonald. Not only is he not playing good tennis, but this is his worst surface. Galan, on the other hand, is far from a great player, but he is a clay court specialist. This is a surface mismatch so this one is an easy pick to give to the player who makes his entire career off of good results on the clay courts in America and the world.
Jordan Thompson(-178) vs. Ethan Quinn(+148)–> Prediction: Thompson
This is the match of the day on Tuesday for the ATP, and this one feels like a coin flip on who will come out on top. Quinn got a wildcard into this event but he is ranked outside the top 100. Thompson was in the top 30 8 months ago, that has slipped a bit since then as he is ranked 35th in the world. While it would be nice to see Quinn get an upset victory on home soil, the Aussie is way too solid and has had some surprisingly good results on the clay throughout his career to get him the win to start the tournament.
Mitchell Krueger(+320) vs. Kei Nishikori(-430)–> Prediction: Nishikori
This is a fun way to close out this Tuesday of ATP tennis in Houston, as former top 10 player Nishikori is set up perfectly to have a good week on American soil. The comeback for Nishikori has been fun to watch in the last 6-8 months. While he more likely won’t return to top Kei form, that doesn’t mean he can’t still win matches consistently in tournaments like this and especially against an unproven American upstart.
Conclusion on the ATP
The clay season can be quite tough for a lot of players. While grass can be tough as well, it only takes up around 5-6 weeks of the tennis calendar, while clay does take up a big portion of the year. With no hard court tennis until towards the end of the summer, players need to find ways to pick up wins on surfaces they are not the most comfortable on. Tennis is a 10-month sport, not a 5-6 month sport, so if players want to reach the top of the game, this is the time of the year for the ATP to gain ground on the field.
