This year’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships could have a wild finish in store. There’ll be a 32-player field that features a good blend of renowned stars, young bloods and recognized old-timers battling for the Van Alen Cup.
But other than the favorites like Steve Johnson and Ivo Karlovic, there are a few attractive names out there that could leave us with our jaws dropped at Newport. That being said, check out the three sleepers we’ve listed below.
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Adrian Mannarino arguably has all the tools to have a very successful career, but that hasn’t been the case thus far. There was a point last year (July 2015) when he ranked No. 27 in the ATP rankings, and seemed primed to finally earn that breakthrough he’s been waiting for.
This year could (hopefully) be Mannarino’s actual time to shine. He’s had a relatively solid 2016 campaign, winning 19 of his first 35 matches. That stretch includes a pair of quarterfinal appearances (Delray Beach and Sofia), a semifinal loss to Dominic Thiem at Nice and a title-winning run at the Noumea Challenger.
Also, Mannarino has proven that he can go mano-a-mano against better opponents already. He currently holds career wins against perennial ATP Tour contenders like Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro, Gilles Simon and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Jared Donaldson
Jared Donaldson is inside the world’s top 150 tennis players. That’s a pretty good place to be in considering this kid is only 19 years old. The potential is clearly there, and it’s just a matter of time before he matures further and builds that needed confidence to finally burst out of his shell.
A successful campaign at this week’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships should speed up the process. The chances of that actually happening look quite good, especially with Donaldson, who is a Rhode Island native, expected to be constantly energized by the loud cheers from the hometown crowd.
Donaldson made it to the Round of 16 a year ago at Newport.
Lukas Lacko
Lukas Lacko should be feeling optimistic about his chances at Newport. He’ll be entering the tournament fresh off a third-round finish at Wimbledon, which included a second-round triumph over World No. 32 Ivo Karlovic, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. That confidence-boosting victory might exactly be what Lacko needs to help him produce much better results this week.
There you have them—the hottest sleepers heading into the 2016 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. Create a betting account now and get in on all of the upcoming action.
