2009 Sony Ericsson Open – Nick’s Picks – Men’s Singles Round 1
Nick’s Picks will be coming to you live from The Sony Ericsson Open from March 25th-29th. Follow along for predictions, picks, and insight into the tournament on the blog and on TennisWeek.com.
Jesse Levine (USA) vs. Benjamin Becker (GER)
Levine is not a giant in size, but he truly is a warrior. Being a lefty is certainly helpful, especially if his wide slice is on to the ad side of the court. His game includes a little bit of everything and he can come to the net.
Becker is no longer the rookie that knocked out Agassi at the US Open. He has powerful groundstrokes from both side, but his driving forehand is definitely his bred and butter shot.
Match up:
Becker is 1-0 against Levine, with that win coming back in 2007 at Delray Beach. Becker must not loose his focus and positive attitude, especially when Levine fights for every ball. Jesse spent a great deal of time at the NBTA training and as a result of this I really got to know him very well. To win this match he must take advantage of all opportunities and put pressure on Becker at all times. This is going to be a close one.
Nick’s Pick – Levine in 3 sets
Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Gilles Muller (LUX)
Querrey has long been the hope as the leader of the next wave of American talent. So far, he has had mixed results but at times has shown he can hang with the best. He comes in ranked #47 in the world and he did reach the finals in Auckland earlier this year.
Muller is a 25-year old lefty that has a big game. He is currently ranked #69 in the world and did reach the third round of the Aussie Open back in January. He has an abundance of talent, he has just not yet found the best way to harness it.
Match up:
Querrey is 1-0 against Muller, with that win coming earlier this year in Auckland. Both men have big serves and big groundstrokes. Muller is no push over and has had some good wins in his career. The key to this match will be Querrey’s serve. If he gets a high percentage of first serves in play and is able to attack the net then he has a good chance of winning this match. Muller will not give too many serves that can be attacked. With the crowd behind him, I’m going with Querrey.
Nick’s Pick – Querrey in 3 sets
Tommy Haas (GER) vs. Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)
Haas is coming off a nice run to the third round at Indian Wells before falling to Novak Djokovic. He has been working extremely hard at the Academy over the last couple of months and seems to be healthy once again. He has been to the fourth round at Miami once before, and has always played well on the hard courts.
Kukushkin is a 21-year old from Kazakhstan who is currently ranked #142 in the world. He is playing in his first ATP Main Draw event of 2009, but has faired well at a couple of Challengers this year.
Match-Up:
This is the first career meeting between Haas and Kukushkin. Haas comes into the match fit with a great attitude. I feel in his older age, he has really done a much better job of controlling his temper and maintaining his focus. I have been working with him on the court and he is getting excellent depth on his groundstrokes and his backhand looks as good as ever. Kukushkin is going to have to go for it all in this match. He will have no pressure on him and needs to take advantage of every defensive ball and opportunity that he has. I look for Tommy to come through this match, but he will have to stay focused the entire time.
Nick’s Pick – Haas in 2 sets
Yuki Bhambri (IND) vs. Diego Junqueira (ARG)
Bhambri is a 16-year old that has trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy for the last couple of years. He was a very highly ranked junior and won both the prestigious Orange Bowl and he won the Junior Australian Open earlier this year. He is playing in his first ATP main draw singles match!
Junqueira is a 28-year old veteran who comes into the tournament ranked #73 in the world. He pushed Richard Gasquet to four sets at the Aussie Open earlier this year and is a bit more comfortable on clay than he is on the hard courts.
Match up:
This is the first career meeting between Bhambri and Junqueira. Bhambri has an outstanding forehand, solid backhand, is a comfortable volleyer, and has a peculiar service motion but it is effective! He needs to put on about 15 to 20 more pounds of muscle, but is working hard at the Academy all the time to build his strength. All of India will be watching him in this match, as he is one of the best young prospects in the world. Against Junqueira he has to hit with depth and put arc on the ball, he cannot hit it too flat and short otherwise he will be in major trouble. Junqueira is also a lefty and moves well, which can be a tricky combination for a young player to deal with. I feel if Bhambri can get ahead early and gain some confidence he can win this match. This match can really go either way, but I’ve got to go with my young student!
Nick’s Pick – Bhambri in 3 sets
