Sam Querrey takes on Alexandr Dolgopolov in the third round of the Citi Open. Both men are coming off of three set wins in their second round match and will meet the winner of the Gael Monfils-Borna Coric match which goes on court before them.
Head-To-Head
Querrey has the slight edge in their five meetings, leading 3-2. They first met back in 2011 in Sydney where the Ukrainian won in straight sets. He’d win their second meeting, which happened to take place at the Citi Open, a year later in straight sets. Since then, the American has won three straight meetings, including both matches from last year. They played in Nottingham and Tokyo in two very tight matches, with the match in Nottingham going to three sets.
Road to the Third Round
Since both men are seeded, they had a bye into the second round. Querrey kicked off his play against countryman Bjorn Fratangelo. Querrey was tested after dropping the first set and recovered to win the second. Fratangelo continued to fight, getting a break back after going two breaks down before succumbing to the Wimbledon quarterfinalist.
Meanwhile, Dolgopolov had to get through a tough three-setter himself against Jordan Thompson of Australia. The man popularly known as “The Dolg” had to get through a third set tiebreak to set up this showdown.
Analysis
This match is going to bring a lot of different looks from the Ukrainian which might trouble Querrey. Dolgopolov has unorthodox approaches to his forehand which is the side that can breakdown at times. His backhand is marvellous though as he can hit it either flat or with topspin. What Dolgopolov can do to Querrey that can really trouble him is change pace. The Ukrainian number one is known for his slice backhand which he hits often. The change of pace will be tricky for Querrey to deal with since he’s at his best when trading pace, not creating it.
The American has the big serve and forehand which he has always had but juiced it up even more in that memorable win against Novak Djokovic a few weeks ago. Querrey’s backhand is average at best but can get the job done if he’s hitting it consistently. The American will need to hit his spots when serving as Dolgopolov will be able to get plenty of balls back in play should he not.
Watch for this one to be another tight affair between these two. Do not be surprised if the American has a little bit of a letdown tonight. Since that big win over Djokovic, a little extra has been asked of Querrey results-wise so that may be tough to come through with at the start.
Prediction: Dolgopolov in three sets