Atlanta Open 2021: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Predictions
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Milos Raonic and Jannik Sinner
The Atlanta Open 2021 will be the 2nd tournament to be played in the USA in the second half of the 2021 season when the focus completely shifts to hardcourt tournaments. The tournament began in 2010 and has been heavily dominated by Americans, winning 8 finals and finishing as the runner-up on the remaining 2 occasions in the 10 contested finals so far.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: ATP Atlanta Open 2021
- Date: July 26 – August 1, 2021
- Number of Entrants: 32 (Singles), 16 (Doubles)
- Venue: Atlanta, USA
- Surface: Hard Court
- Prize Money: $638,385
- Defending champion: Alex de Minaur (2019)
Top Seeds at Atlanta Open 2021
- Milos Raonic
- Jannik Sinner
- Cameron Norrie
- Reilly Opelka
- Taylor Fritz
- John Isner
- Benoit Paire
- Lloyd Harris
Men’s Singles Draw Analysis and Prediction
Top Half
Top-seeded Milos Raonic receives a bye in the first round and will begin his campaign directly into the 2nd round playing either Wildcard Trent Bryde or Brandon Nakashima who’s been drafted into the main-draw as the ‘Special Exempt’. Veteran Sam Querrey will play the winner of Jordan Thompson and 8th seeded Lloyd Harris in the 2nd round with Harris looking the favourite there.
3rd seeded Cameron Norrie also receives a bye in the first round and will face the winner of Kevin Anderson and champion from the 2016 Atlanta Open Nick Kyrgios, one of the thrilling first-round clashes of the tournament. 7th seeded Benoit Paire is expected to meet Mackenzie McDonald in the 2nd round after seeing off Yasutaka Uchiyama in the 1st round.
First semi-final prediction: Lloyd Harris vs Nick Kyrgios
Bottom Half
5th seeded Taylor Fritz and Italian Andreas Seppi will begin their campaigns against qualifiers while 4th seeded Reilly Opelka gets a bye in the first round. Fritz will play the winner of Alexei Popyrin and Steve Johnson, another exciting first-round clash, while Opelka is expected to meet Seppi in the 2nd round.
2nd seeded Jannik Sinner also gets a bye in the first round and is expected to meet Denis Kudla in the 2nd round. 8-time finalist and 5-time champion, 6th seeded John Isner will open against compatriot JJ Wolf and is expected to meet another compatriot Jack Sock in the 2nd round. The quarter-final clash between Isner and Sinner is expected to be a thrilling encounter.
Second semi-final prediction: Reilly Opelka vs John Isner
Semi-Finals
Kyrgios and Harris could set up their first-ever career meeting in the semi-finals of the tournament. Both have been good players on Hardcourts and are chasing their first title of the season while Harris chases the maiden ATP title of his career. While Harris has had a long run in the season, Kyrgios hasn’t played much being the champion in 2016, he would certainly know how to go past Harris.
Opelka and Isner could renew their rivalry in the semi-finals in what could be their 5th career meeting. All 4 of their previous matches have been decided in the tie-breakers with Opelka winning all 3 of their previous meetings. The duo also met in the 2nd round of the 2019 Atlanta Open where Opelka defeated the 2-time defending champion Isner.
Atlanta Open Finals prediction: Nick Kyrgios vs John Isner
Finals
In what could be the repeat of the 2016 Atlanta Open finals, Nick Kyrgios and John Isner could meet for the 6th time in their career. While Nick has won 3 of their previous 5 encounters, Isner is more experienced and is undoubtedly a Hardcourt specialist. Isner seems the favourite to win the title as he has spent more time on the court as compared to Nick who has played only 9 matches so far this season.
Champion: John Isner
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)