Italy’s Fabio Fognini loved Monaco. Will he feel the same about Hamburg? (AP Photo/Claude Paris) Associated Press
Tennis

Tennis Thursday Hamburg: Abrams picks 2nd Round matches Struff vs. Carreno Busta, Zverev vs. Delbonis, Fognini vs. Molleker

Matches start at 6:50 am EDT.

Neal Abrams

Hamburg European Open

Hamburg, Germany

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Men’s Second Round

Jan-Lennard Struff over Pablo Carreno Busta

Struff has really proven to me that he can win on all surfaces and that he never fails to compete. Sometimes he runs into a player who is just better than he is, and there’s not much he can do about it, but Carreno Busta is not one of those players. These guys are pretty darn even, and because this match is on clay I would normally lean towards the dirtballer, but Struff can win on clay, and he can beat the guy from Argentina on the red stuff, as they’re 2-2 with each other, and 1-1 on clay. I like Struff to move on.

Sascha Zverev over Frederico Delbonis

I thought Nicolas Jarry would catch Zverev napping, but Sascha appeared up for the challenge taking out the Chilean in straight sets. Delbonis had a good win over Cecchinatto in the first round, but if Zverev is on his game, there’s nothing Delbonis can do to stop him.

Fabio Fognini over Rudolf Molleker

The Fabulous Fognini, who is either right on, or a debacle in the making, appears to have his game back. A desultory Wimbledon didn’t seem to bother the Italian, as he’s back on the clay, where he not only feels comfortable, but is one of the best players in the world. He was given a cake-walk of a draw, beating up on qualifier Julian Lenz, and now facing wild-card Rudolf Molleker. Fognini should roll.

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