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One of the best matches in the first round of Shanghai Masters will see american Sam Querrey take on german legend Tommy Haas.
Querrey did surprisingly well last season, overcoming a previous injury and having one of his best career years. Much was expected from the american before this season, but he failed to deliver as he displayed a miserable form (for his standards) all year long. Big Sam did not play a single final this year and his win – loss record of 25-20 is very poor for a player expected to challenge for a Top 10 spot. Querrey is playing decent tennis at the moment with quarterfinals in Metz and Beijing, but at the same time he recently lost to Giraldo, Anderson or an out of form Tipsarevic.
Haas is one of the most pleasing players to watch, his tennis is sublime combining fitness and technique. The german veteran is at the top of his game despite being 25 years old, posting a 41-18 win-loss record this year. Haas still has a chance to qualify for the World Tour finals and for that to happen he absolutely needs a solid performance in the remaining two Master Series tournaments. He does not have such a tough draw here so motivation is sky-high for Haas. Tommy lost last week to Hewitt in the first round at Beijing but he always had problems against the australian.
Haas leads the Head 2 Head against Querrey 3-2, with the american winning the last two meetings. Still, the last match was in 2009 so this stat does not tell us too much about.
Querrey`s main weapon is his serve but that is not working so well at the moment. Haas will have his chances on return, and at the same time the german has a great serve himself and should keep the american away from too many break points. Tommy knows how to play big servers so that should work as a big advantage for him in this match. Querrey is younger and seems to have improved a little bit in the last weeks but long-term form, quality, experience and motivation should get Haas through to the second round.
Expect a very entertaining match between two fine attacking players. Some great shotmaking is on the cards and Haas has an advantage here also, as his groundstrokes are faster, more dynamic and generally better than Big Sam`s. My pick is something like 6-4 5-7 6-3, with Querrey having some periods of top level play but with Tommy Haas holding the upper hand in the entire match. The over could also be on the cards but is Haas is at his best he has good chances of taking it in two sets.
Pick: Haas
Odds: 1.63 @ Unibet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 5.04
Event date: 7 October
Editor Facts
- Rostick is 7 for 9 in October
