Behold, the last remaining clay-court ATP Tour tournament played on US soil! The Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championships is set for another staging in the River Oaks Country Club in Houston from April 4 to 10, 2016.
Americans John Isner and Jack Sock, the tournament’s defending champion, will surely be the crowd favorites, but can any of the foreign contenders knock them off their perch?
Get a better sense of the key players to know in this upcoming tournament with our preview below. Meanwhile, check out some more upcoming action in Houston with our preview of the 2016 Shell Houston Open.
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2016 US Men’s Clay Court Championships Preview
Favorites
John Isner
John Isner is known more as a hard-serving hard-court specialist, but he has been a fixture in the US Men’s Clay Court Championships for close to a decade now. This year will be his ninth appearance in the tournament. He won it all in 2013 and was a losing finalist in 2012, although he hasn’t gotten past the second round in the last two years.
The World No. 13 hasn’t fared too well on clay court this season, as he lost his two opening round matches down in South America earlier in the year. However, the friendlier confines of Houston – not to mention the advantage of being the tournament’s top seed – should give the American a much-needed boost.
Jack Sock
Jack Sock has fond memories of River Oaks Country Club. It was only last year when he claimed his very first ATP singles title on its clay courts. The unseeded Sock got by some big names like Roberto Bautista Agut, Kevin Anderson and fellow American Sam Querrey en route to the title. After dropping his very first set of the tournament, Sock proceeded to win the next 10 sets in a row. Pretty impressive stuff.
Sock has yet to completely rediscover last season’s fine form, but with last year’s showing still fresh in the memory, expect the World No. 24 to be one of the big favorites to become the tournament’s first back-to-back winner since Andy Roddick in 2001-2002.
Benoit Paire
Benoit who? That’s Benoit Paire, the ATP’s 2015 Comeback Player of the Year. The Frenchman had a fabulous campaign back from a knee injury last season, as he won the Swedish Open (on clay court) and was a runner-up in the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. Those results catapulted him all the way up to No. 22 in the world.
The tournament organizers, who awarded Paire a top-three seed, certainly aren’t sleeping on Paire, and neither should you. The Frenchman should definitely be considered one of the tournament favorites.
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Sleeper
Fernando Verdasco
Likewise, don’t sleep on Spain’s Fernando Verdasco. The former top-10-ranked player may have slipped all the way down to No. 65 in the world, but for some reason the courts down in Houston seem to bring out the very best in him. Verdasco won the entire tournament in 2014, the sixth of his career, and followed that up with a strong semifinal showing last year. He’ll be one of those unseeded players the big guns don’t want to face.
Long Shot
Paolo Lorenzi
For a good long shot bet to win the tournament, take a good look at World No. 54 Paolo Lorenzi. The 34-year-old Italian is hardly a household name, but he can do some damage on clay.
Lorenzi has been a busy boy during the clay court season, and has found decent success. He reached the final of the Bucaramanga Challenger tournament and the semis of the Ecuador Open earlier in the season. He also owns a couple of wins for Italy in some Davis Cup action. He’s competed in River Oaks three times before, with his best showing a quarterfinal berth in 2014.
Writer’s Prediction
Paire spoils the American party as he claims the title in Houston.
