John Isner is undoubtedly the man to beat in Atlanta. The World No. 16 is the three-time defending champion in this event, marking one of the more dominant runs for one player in a single tournament in recent years. And as the top seed this year, he’ll once again enjoy a bye in the first round.
Isner has not been playing his best tennis at the moment. He crashed out in the round of 32 of the Canadian Masters against World No. 144 Ryan Harrison, and has reached the last eight just once in his last six tournaments. But a return to a venue which has brought him so much success could be just the cure for his current slump.
Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios suffered quite a humiliation in the Canadian Masters as he fell in the very first round to World No. 370 Denis Shapovalov. Nevertheless, the World No. 19 has been awarded the No. 2 seed, and a precious first-round bye, in Atlanta.
Despite that shock exit in Toronto, Kyrgios has generally fared quite well on hard court this season. He reached the semifinals in Dubai and the Miami Masters, and won his lone tournament of 2016 on the indoor hard court of Marseille.
Kevin Anderson
It’s been a frustrating, injury-riddled 2016 for Kevin Anderson. The South African crashed out in the first round in three of his first four hard court tournaments this season, two due to retirement. But the World No. 34 redeemed himself in Toronto. He managed to reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Masters before succumbing to World No. 5 Stan Wawrinka. That good run in Canada could just give Anderson the confidence boost he needs to push on at the tail-end of the season.
Anderson didn’t feature last year in Atlanta. His last appearance was in 2014, where he lost to a lucky loser in the second round as a No. 2 seed. However, he did go all the way to the final in 2013, where he lost to Isner.
Sleeper
Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz has had a predictably rough first year on tour. The 18-year-old American suffered another quick first-round exit at the hands of Ivo Karlovic at the Canadian Masters. That’s now 10-straight tournaments where he’s failed to win more than one match.
However, don’t count out the World No. 63, especially when he’s on his preferred hard court. Fritz has gone a combined 34-7 on the surface over the last two years in non-Tour main draw competition. He claimed the Happy Valley Challenger title at the start of the year. He also reached the final of the Memphis Open, the best finish of his young Tour career.
Fritz is a -4,000 favorite to win his round-of-32 matchup with wild card Austin Smith.
Long Shot
Yoshihito Nishioka
Brought in as a replacement for Lucas Pouille, Yoshihito Nishioka isn’t expected to last very long in Atlanta. The 20-year-old is just 5-7 on Tour this season, and is a +115 underdog in the first round against Daniel Evans. However, the young Japanese has been tearing it up in the Challenger events, particularly on hard court. He’s 17-4 on the surface in non-Tour main draw events.
Nishioka claimed the Winnetka Challenger, and reached the semifinals of the Winnipeg Challenger before being forced to retire. He even made it all the way to the round of 32 of the Miami Masters, which is a sign that the 20-year-old is slowly preparing to make a step up on Tour.
Writer’s Prediction
Despite his poor form, Isner recovers to claim a fourth-consecutive title in Atlanta.
Create a betting account now and cash in on more hard court ATP tennis action with America’s top online sportsbook.
