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2016 ATP Winston-Salem Open Preview
When: August 21-27, 2016
Where: Wake Forest University – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Lines: view all ATP Winston-Salem Open odds here
Writer’s Pick: Viktor Troicki
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Richard Gasquet
Gasquet is only just returning from a back injury which forced him to retire at Wimbledon and miss the Olympics for a second time. Nevertheless, the World No. 15 was awarded the No. 1 seed, and should be the man to beat in the tournament.
The 30-year-old Frenchman couldn’t quite shake of the rust in his first tournament back. He fell in the round of 32 to Kevin Anderson in the Cincinnati Masters. However, he’ll probably have to wait until the semifinals to face a formidable opponent in Winston-Salem. His “toughest” possible quarterfinal foe – No. 13 Federico Delbonis – has lost in the first round of his last six tournaments.
Roberto Bautista Agut
Bautista Agut had a good run in the Rio Olympics. He made it all the way to the quarterfinals, where he fell to surprise package Juan Martin del Potro. However, he did have a bit of an Olympic hangover as he fell in the very first round of the Cincinnati Masters to Nicolas Mahut. But despite that shock loss, the Spaniard will still be a worthy No. 2 seed in Winston-Salem.
Bautista Agut, who will be making his debut in Winston-Salem, is having one of his best seasons ever on hard court. He has a 23-8 record on the surface, and won his first career outdoor hard court title at the ASB Classic last January. He also added an indoor hard court title at the Sofia Open.
Kevin Anderson
It’s been an odd year for Kevin Anderson. The South African hard court specialist is only 6-7 on the surface this season. He’s crashed out in his very first match in four of the seven hard court tournaments he’s entered. This includes the Australian Open, where he was upset by current World No. 103 Rajeev Ram.
Injuries have played a huge part in Anderson’s lack of form. He withdrew from eight tournaments due to knee, shoulder, and ankle injuries.
However, the World No. 24 is the defending champion in Winston-Salem, and should still be considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. Anderson dropped just one set – in his very first match, no less – en route to the title last season.
Anderson also showed some signs of regaining his top form in the Canadian Masters. He beat two rising stars in Dominic Thiem and Bernard Tomic in order to reach the quarterfinal, where he eventually fell to World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka.
Sleeper
Viktor Troicki
The Salem-Winston Open has a history of coming up with surprise winners and finalists. In 2013, Jurgen Melzer won the tournament as a No. 9 seed, and Lukas Rosol followed that up by winning as a No. 7 seed a year later. This year, No. 9 seed Viktor Troicki could be the next lower-seeded sleeper to go all the way and win the tournament.
The 30-year-old Serb’s current form has been wretched. He’s crashed out in his very first match in four consecutive hard court tournaments. However, don’t let that bad run make you forget that Troicki is quite handy on the surface. He won his only title of the season to date on the hard courts of Sydney back in January. He also reached the final of an indoor hard court tournament in Sofia, where he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut.
Long Shot
Pablo Carreno Busta
Carreno Busta’s hard court record doesn’t make for very impressive reading. The 25-year-old Spaniard is just 14-22 on the surface in the Tour main draw over the last three years. However, there are a few reasons to be optimistic about him as a long shot capable of springing a huge surprise in Salem-Winston.
For one, Carreno Busta is coming off a strong semifinal showing at Los Cabos. He eventually lost to the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Feliciano Lopez, but not before pushing him to the full three sets.
Carreno Busta, the No. 16 seed, will also be in the same side of the bracket as No. 3 Pablo Cuevas, who’s arguably the weakest hard court player of the top seeds. Cuevas is just 14-21 over the last three years in the main draw. And of course, Carreno Busta surprisingly made the quarterfinals of Winston-Salem last year.
Writer’s Prediction
Troicki finally breaks out of his slump and grabs the tournament win in Winston-Salem.
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