Tennis Channel All-Star Championships: Breakdown and predictions

Bracket Predictions: match-by-match breakdown (Laver Region) – Round 1

Match #1: Roger Federer vs Andy Murray

As much as the public loves Andy Murray, there’s not a chance that he’ll step up and beat Federer in votes. He’s one of the most, if not the most, loved tennis player of all-time, and fans will have little argument to vote for Murray here.

Winner: Federer

Match #2: Kei Nishikori vs Marin Cilic

Their most famous match came in the 2014 US Open Final, with the big-serving Croat winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. These two have been very consistent throughout their careers, constantly e=appearing in the second weeks of Grand Slams but never able to make it by the formidable Big 3.

Looking at fan votes, Cilic likely has the edge. He’s been on tour longer and has a more likable style of play compared to Nishikori’s baseline-heavy approach. It’ll definitely be one of the closer picks of the first round, but Cilic will pull it out and move onto the second round.

Winner: Cilic

Match #3: Marat Safin vs David Nalbandian

Once again, this one is going to be relatively close. Both have had successful and prolonged careers, peaking in the early 2000s. Safin has had more success over his career, winning two major championships (2000 US Open, 2005 Australian Open) and 5 Masters 1000 Series. He has also been the ATP World #1 (in 20000).

On the other side, Nalbandian has had a solid career. Turning pro in 2000, he collected 2 Masters 1000 Series wins, both in 2007. He’s reached a career-high of 3rd but never won a Grand Slam. Safin should win this matchup due to his success on Tour in big tournaments compared to Nalbandian.

Winner: Safin

Match #4: Gustavo Kuerten vs Tim Henman

Continuing the trend, this match isn’t going to be a blowout, however, it will end in a Kuerten victory. While Henman holds more of a cult following in tennis, especially amongst British fans (see Henman Hill), Kuerten has had a much more successful career and will take the victory.

One of the many clay-court specialists, Kuerten captured 3 titles at Roland Garros (1997, 2000, 2001), as well as 4 Masters 1000s on the surface. Of his 20 career titles, 14 have come on clay (the rest coming on hard courts). That doesn’t take away from his skills; the three-time major champion was the 2000 year-end World #1 and was one fo the better players on Tour until the Federer-Nadal duo came to take over.

Henman’s 4 trips to the Wimbledon semifinals is what makes him so popular. Outside of that, he isn’t a player with the same caliber as Kuerten. The Brit has won only one Masters 1000 title and hasn’t been higher than 4th in the world. He’s overmatched against Kuerten and will be consistently behind until the voting closes.

Winner: Kuerten

Match #5: Andy Roddick vs Tomas Berdych

This match is very similar to the previous one. Roddick is the better player overall and has had more success on Tour in his career. He won the 2003 US Open and finished as the year-end #1 in the same year. He one of the most consistent players on Tour in his career, winning at least 1 tournament every year from 2002-2011.

Berdych was similar to Roddick in his consistency to win every year; he won a tournament every year from 2004-2016, apart from 2006, 2010, and 2013. What stands out for Roddick, and why he’s the winner in this matchup, is Berdych’s lack of success in Grand Slams. He made one Wimbledon final (2010), but nothing outside of that. It’s Roddick success in big moments that gives him the edge here.

Winner: Roddick

Match #6: Juan Carlos Ferrero vs Vincent Spadea

This will be the biggest blowout in the region, without a doubt. Ferrero’s time might be numbered after this round, as he’ll have a projected path of Roddick in the next round, but Spadea shouldn’t be sniffing this list to begin with. As the other half of the bracket comes out, we’ll see which players make the cut, but Ferrero will get at least 90% of the votes here in this round.

Ferrero has reached World #1 and was a major champion in Paris. Spadea has a career losing record and never topped a ranking higher than 18th. It’ll be an easy win for the Spaniard.

Winner: Ferrero

Match #7: Tommy Haas vs Gael Monfils

This will be the closest match of the round. Both players have had similar careers being overshadowed by the Big 3 for the entirety of them. Both have collected the lower-level ATP 500s and 250s but never gotten over the hump in 1000s or in Grand Slams (Haas has one 1000 Series win, at Stuttgart in 2001).

This is certainly the “personality battle” here in the bracket, as both bring their energy and fun style of play to the court. It could go either way here, but due to the slightly better success overall, former World #2 Tommy Haas will pull out the win. It won’t be surprising if Monfils comes out on top, however.

Winner: Haas

Match #8: Andre Agassi vs Carlos Moya

Both players are loved by tennis fans across the world, but, apart from the Big 3, Agassi might be the most popular player that’s ever played. He’s had a Hall of Fame career, collecting 60 titles, 8 Grand Slams (including the career Grand Slam), and 17 Masters 1000s. He finished 1999 as the year-end #1 and sits 9th all-time with 101 total weeks at the top of the rankings.

Moya was the King of Clay prior to the emergence of Rafael Nadal. Of his 20 titles, 16 of them were on clay and one of which was Roland Garros (1998). While Moya had a well-respected career and was a popular player on Tour, there aren’t many players all-time that could top Agassi’s resume and likability.

Winner: Agassi