Sam Querrey will continue his Newport campaign on Wednesday against Dustin Brown. Jack Sock and Lukas Lacko are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(6) Sam Querrey vs. Dustin Brown
Querrey and Brown will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they meet in round two of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Wednesday. Interestingly, they have faced each other at this exact stage of this same event on one previous occasion. Brown prevailed 6-4, 6-3 in 2010 but he now trails the overall head-to-head series 2-1. Querrey got some revenge in the form of a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory one season later in Delray Beach before pulling out a 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3 win on the clay courts of Houston in 2014.
Brown on Tuesday picked up his first win since upsetting Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. The 80th-ranked German, who fell to Viktor Troicki during third-round action at the All-England Club, opened in Newport with a 7-6(4), 6-3 defeat of qualifier Adrien Bossel. Querrey advanced via a 7-6(3), 7-6(1) victory over qualifier Matthew Ebden. The 36th-ranked American, a runner-up in Nottingham and a second-round Wimbledon loser to eventual runner-up Roger Federer, is a mediocre 16-15 on the season. This should be an entertaining showdown between two capable grass-court performers, with a slight edge going to Querrey because he is playing at home and owns a superior return game than his opponent.
Pick: Querrey in 3
Lukas Lacko vs. (4) Jack Sock
Sock is looking to bounce back from a relatively disappointing Wimbledon in which he lost in the third round of the doubles event (with Vasek Pospisil) and in the opening round of the singles tournament to Sam Groth. The 39th-ranked American got back in gear by destroying Radek Stepanek 6-2, 6-0 on Tuesday. This is Sock’s fourth appearance in Newport and he has still never lost in the first round. The 22-year-old advanced to the semifinals in 2014 before succumbing to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt.
Up next for Sock on Wednesday is a second career encounter with Lacko. They previously collided in last season’s Atlanta quarterfinals, with Sock getting the job done 7-6(6), 6-2. Lacko is a horrendous 3-9 at the ATP level in 2015 but he managed to scrape through this week’s opener 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at the expense of Niels Desein. This is a huge step up in competition for the 93rd-ranked Slovakian, and one that he may not be ready for based on his recent results. Sock should dictate play with his serve and forehand and cruise to a routine win.
Pick: Sock in 2
