Lightning 18-24 futures

[Lightning]

ATP WASHINGTON OPEN (CITI OPEN)
- John Isner to WIN - $9 - ONE STAKE
- Grigor Dimitrov to WIN - $9 – HALF STAKE

Both guys are on the same side of the draw, but that’s because nobody screams ‘pick me’ on the other side. Monfils and Zverev are the two threats on the other side, but I can’t trust Monfils, and I’m not sure Zverev could beat either Isner or Dimitrov.

I’m honestly not sure why Dimitrov is so far down the rankings. He’s such a talented player, and when he’s on, he has the potential to be top 10. The problem is consistent tennis. If he had good form running into this tournament, I think he’d almost be favourite to win it.

Isner will probably face Baghdatis in the third round, but he has a 7-0 record against him, so I’m not worried. Johnson will probably face him in the quarters (although Troicki can turn it on when he feels like it), but he has a 5-1 record against him as well. If Dimitrov turns it on, he’ll most likely face him in the semis, but otherwise Sock or Tomic seem to be the most likely candidates.

If he does make it all the way to the final, and the seeds on the other side play as expected, he’ll face Monfils. They have a 4-4 h2h record, but the match being in the USA gives Isner a slight edge.

Dimitrov makes my picks because he has the talent to win this entire thing without dropping a set.

WTA STANFORD
- Dominika Cibulkova to WIN - $5 – ONE STAKE

This is really her tournament to lose. She won’t face a genuine threat until the semi-finals, in Johanna Konta (assuming she gets there). Regardless, she holds a 1-0 h2h record. She’ll face Vandeweghe or Williams in the final, but she holds a h2h advantage over both of them. The only question is if she’ll be mentally fit after Wimbledon, but I can’t not play her because of that factor.

I'LL EDIT THE OTHER TOURNAMENTS IN LATER.

[GoBlue77]

fyi isner is on the other side of the country playing davis cup today. i would not be betting him at all, he has zero chance to win

you're welcome

[Lightning]

Zero chance? Literally zero chance?

[Lightning]

The rest of them... sorry about the terrible formatting but no time today.

ATP KITZBUHEL
- Dominic Thiem to WIN - $2.1 – FIVE STAKES (SPORTSBET)
- Philip Kohlscreiber to WIN - $4.33 – ONE AND A HALF STAKES (SPORTSBET)
This tournament is honestly a laugh. You know there’s a gap in quality when the fourth seed is Paolo Lorenzi and Jan Struff is the eighth seed. If Thiem doesn’t win this, I’ll probably lose it. In fact, I’d honestly question his motivation if it weren’t in his home country. Thiem is also young, and keen to win as many tournaments as possible. He’s not a guy that will want to take it easy. The hardest bloke he could face in his draw is probably Cervantes, Lorenzi or Struff. The other side is probably a lot tougher, with guys like Rosol, Granollers and Kohlscreiber, but the one most likely to get through is Kohl or Rosol. In this case, my bet on Kohlscreiber is a cover.



ATP GSTAAD
- Feliciano Lopez to WIN - $8.22 – ONE STAKE
Really open tournament this. Feliciano Lopez made the semis last year, and is the first seed this year. For him to come back again, it shows that he a) really enjoyed the tournament, or b) really wants to win it. I’m banking on b) because he has the ranking points to defend, and if he really liked the tournament, bowing out in the first two days wouldn’t really enhance his enjoyment of it. For this reason, he would start as my favourite.
Bellucci also made the semis last year, and is good on clay, but Lopez at his peak should take him. On the other side, Simon is consistent enough at his best to beat any of the other players, but there’s always the question about whether he’ll present his best level. Pella is the other guy that can really play on clay, reaching the final of Rio earlier in the year, which he lost in three sets to Cuevas.
Ramos is the other one I’m interested in. A guy like him who hasn’t had a lot of success before would want to keep up the momentum. He’s clearly enjoying the clay season, and will be on a high after Gstaad. He’ll have played a lot of matches lately though, which is the only issue. I really think Simon should beat both Verdasco and him, but I can’t count on his level. Because of this uncertainty, I’m only going to hit Lopez.


ATP CROATIA (UMAG)
- Joao Sousa to WIN - $11 - HALF STAKE (SPORTSBET)
- Martin Klizan to WIN - $9 – HALF STAKE (BET365)
Actually a pretty interesting tournament – perhaps the most interesting of this week’s. Last year’s winner, Dominic Thiem, is playing Kitzbuhel. Pablo Cuevas is favourite (probably rightly so), but in a strong field, I can’t find value on his price of $4.33. The two guys I like are unfortunately in the same quarter of the draw! Sousa has been ordinary this year, but reached the semi-finals last year and has the points to defend. Motivation is half the battle in these types of tourneys – and he has it
Klizan is another guy that’s been playing pretty well this year. He dismantled Cuevas (much to my disappointment) in the final of Hamburg, He’s also Slovakian, which means he *might* get the home support against someone like Cuevas or Almagro in a semi-final.


WTA WASHINGTON
- Sloane Stephens to WIN - $5.5 – ONE STAKE
WTA BASTAD
- Kiki Bertens to WIN - $9 – HALF STAKE

[Chaz22]

oh, futures....so unpredictable....

Apart from Thiem not so sure on any of these selections....

I mean Sousa and Klizan? I see your strategy there, but Leonardo might beat them both. Klizan will probably be tired and for him to win 2 tournaments in a row...cant see that happen.
Sousa has improved a lot but still he's not a clay-courter.
I would rather pick Almagro

in that Gstaad tournament I can see Lopez going to semis at least (nice draw for him). so not a bad pick.

D.C. my vote goes for well, it can be Isner no matter Davis Cup.....too damn difficult to pick....I'd say Querrey vs Isner in the final.....