Tel Aviv Watergen Open 2022: Men’s Singles Draw Preview and Prediction
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Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem
The first edition of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open will begin on September 26 and will feature one of the biggest names in tennis- Novak Djokovic.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: Tel Aviv Watergen Open 2022
- Date: September 26 – October 02 2022
- Number of Entrants: 28 (Singles), 16 (Doubles)
- Venue: Tel Aviv, Israel
- Surface: Hard Court
- Prize Money: $949,475
- Defending champion: –
Top Seeds at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open 2022
- Novak Djokovic
- Marin Cilic
- Diego Schwartzman
- Maxime Cressy
- Botic van de Zandschulp
- Aslan Karatsev
- Adrian Mannarino
- Tallon Griekspoor
Men’s Singles Draw Preview
Top Half
21-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic will headline the Tel Aviv draw and gets a first round bye with the other top 4 seeds. Djokovic is the favorite to win the tournament, will face either Thiago Monteiro or Pablo Andujar in the Round of 16 and is drawn opposite Tallon Griekspoor who opens against Vasek Pospisil. In an All-Israeli contest, Edan Leshem will face Yshai Oliel with the winner expected to face Griekspoor in the Round of 16.
Third seed Diego Schwartzman will face the winner of the match between Arthur Rinderknech and Marius Copil. 6th seed Aslan Karatsev will face Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the opening round and will then take on either Hugo Grenier or Roman Safiullin. Schwartzman and Karatsev are the biggest name in this section and are expected to meet in the quarterfinals.
1st Semifinal Prediction: Novak Djokovic vs Aslan Karatsev
Bottom Half
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic will headline the bottom half of the draw and for the first time after the Davis Cup, will face Laslo Djere or another former US Open champion, Dominic Thiem. While Cilic will be the favorite to make it deep through this quarter, but his supposed Round of 16 match against Thiem could be tricky. 5th seed Botic Van de Zandschulp will face Joao Sousa in the opening round with the winner facing either Liam Broady or Hamad Medjedovic in the second round.
American big serving giant Maxime Cressy will lock horns against either Sebastian Korda or Cem Ilkel in the Round of 16 and is drawn opposite Frenchman Adrian Mannarino who opens against fellow countryman Constant Lestienne in the opening round. Emil Ruusuvuori, who has a very good draw, plays J.J. Wolf in the first round and will face Mannarino in the Round of 16.
2nd Semifinal Prediction: Sebastian Korda vs Marin Cilic
Semifinals
Top seed Novak Djokovic will be up against Aslan Karatsev in the first semifinal in what will be a repeat of the 2021 Australian Open semifinal. Djokovic will start the favorite but will be wary of Karatsev’s big forehand on fast Tel Aviv courts.
The second semifinal will be a battle of two generations with Sebastian Korda facing Marin Cilic. Korda is projected as the next big thing in American tennis and will want to reach another tour final this year but given Cilic’s experience, he would fancy his chances.
Tel Aviv Watergen Open Final: Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic
Final
The two highest ranked and amongst the most experienced players of the tournament, Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic will meet in the final of the Tel Aviv Open. Djokovic will start the overwhelming favorite given his stature and form but Cilic too is a force to be reckoned with and won’t make things easy for Djokovic. Expect a thrilling match with Djokovic winning the match and the tournament.
Champion: Novak Djokovic
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Lakshya Chopra
(2611 Articles Published)