The opening rounds of the 2019 Stockholm Open on Wednesday, October 16, will see a few top seeds in action. Get Grigor Dimitrov v Sam Querrey, Taylor Fritz v Yoshihito Nishioka tips, previews, and predictions here, with a few other matches as well.
Get the best odds for the ATP Stockholm Open 2019 with 888Sport here.[the_ad_group id=”1639″]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Grigor Dimitrov v Sam Querrey Predictions & Preview
At the moment, Dimitrov holds a 3-0 lead over Querrey, last beating the American in the Shanghai Masters a couple of years back. Heading into this fixture, the number two seed is a clear odds-on favourite.
Currently ranked World No. 27, Dimitrov has had a rather dull year, primarily on account of his shoulder injury. As a result of it, he was forced to sit out many tournaments at the start of the season and also had to deal with a considerable drop in form. His win-loss tally of 17-18 tells us the very same tale, which comprises mainly of early round exits in a bunch of tournaments.
However, the former top 10 player found a lot of reprieve in the US Open where he reached the semifinal. Defeating the likes of Roger Federer and Borna Coric en-route, that was among his first such run in really long time. But then, he dropped the ball once again in the Asian swing.
Querrey, by contrast, has been fairly more impressive, at least in terms of numbers. With 21-14, he has had a more consistent year with a few feats like the runner-up trophy from Eastbourne and the quarterfinal run at the Wimbledon. Of late, however, he hasn’t been half as impressive with a litany of early-round defeats in Asia and the US Open Series.
Tip: Over 2.5 sets in the match: 6/5 with Unibet
[maxbutton id=”8″]
Taylor Fritz v Yoshihito Nishioka Predictions & Preview
In what is set to be a classic battle between two young players on the ATP Tour, the 24-year-old Nishioka holds a 1-0 lead over Fritz. He last defeated the American in the Los Cabos in 2018.
Currently ranked World No. 74, Nishioka started his campaign in Stockholm with a three-set win over Radu Albot. Now, he will be hoping to make it past the second round for the first time since the Cincinnati Open. Following his breakthrough run there where he reached the quarterfinal – one of his best runs of the year, the Japanese has lost fairly early in the opening rounds.
In fact, in Shanghai, he barely made it past the qualifiers. Most of his season has been along the same lines barring a few exceptions. He had a good run in the Indian Wells Open where he reached the fourth round, and a quarterfinal run in Sydney.
As for Fritz, he is enjoying a bye into the second round in Stockholm. He has had a much better year with a strike rate of 28-26 and a singles title from the ATP Eastbourne. Currently seeded number three for the tournament, he is heading into this fixture following an early exit in the Shanghai Masters. Interestingly, Fritz was the runner-up in Los Cabos but since then, he ended up losing five first-round matches consecutively.
Up until then, he was enjoying a decent run on the circuit with a few wins here and there. Now, Fritz is seeking to end the season on a higher note with a title run. He faces an opponent who hasn’t been in this decent of a form.
Tip: Fritz to win: 16/25 with Unibet
[maxbutton id=”8″]
Mikael Ymer v Joao Sousa Predictions & Preview
Sousa leads the local favourite Ymer by 1-0 at the moment, last beating the Swede in the Fed Cup last season. This first-round fixture will be an interesting one to follow as the 21-year-old Mikael faces the 30-year-old veteran Sousa.
On one hand, Ymer has spent a great deal of his time on the Challenger circuit, training and building his form for matches like these. He has had a lot of success there and is heading into this match with back to back title runs from a couple of tournaments in France. That was among his fourth such title of the year and along with those, he also reached the final on two other occasions. On the ATP circuit, however, Ymer hasn’t been this impressive with early exits in the handful of events he played in.
Sousa, meanwhile, has been working relentlessly on the ATP Tour. With 26-30, he has certainly kept himself busy and has managed to put up a few key performances to be proud of. For instance, he reached the third round in the Miami Open, Australian Open, and the semifinal in Gstaad and St. Petersburg. Apart from this, the Portuguese also enjoyed a good fourth-round run in the Wimbledon.
For this match, Sousa will start as the favourite on account of his experience but expect him to face a great deal of resistance.
Tip: Over 20.5 games in the match: 11/20 with Unibet
Daniel Evans v Filip Krajinovic Predictions & Preview
This is the first meeting between the two players on the tour.
Evans started his run in the Stockholm Open 2019 with a three-set win over Bernard Tomic while Krajinovic moved past Casper Ruud in the opener in straight sets. Comparing the form between the two players, the Serbian has had a much better run than Evans on the tour this season.
With a strike-rate of 23-15, Krajinovic is among the most clinical players in the tournament, at least statistically speaking. He reached the final in the Hungarian Open, fourth round in the Indian Wells Open, and the quarterfinal on a few other occasions. His biggest victories came over the likes of Daniil Medvedev, David Goffin, and Roger Federer, which speak scores about the Serb’s form. Apart from that, he also had a good run in a few Challenger tournaments.
Despite a lack of consistency, he is still an opponent to fear. Evans, by a stark contrast, has managed to put up a couple of third round runs in the Grand Slams as his best results, along with the runner-up feat in Delray Beach. While he had a good run on the Challenger circuit too, it was in the first half of the season and since then, his form has dropped down considerably.
In his last two events in Chengdu and Beijing, he fell in the second round.
Tip: Over 20.5 games in the match: 1/2 with Unibet