Queen's Club 2022: Men's Singles draw analysis, preview and prediction | Cinch Championships
The draw for this year's Queen's Club Championships has been revealed. Matteo Berrettini enters the competition as the defending champion and second seed this year and will be among the favorites to win. Top seed Casper Ruud is also expected to do well after reaching the final of the French Open.
The likes of Cameron Norrie, Denis Shapovalov and Marin Cilic are also capable of challenging for the title. On that note, let us take a look at how the draw for the Queen's Club Championships could unfold.
Top Half: Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic could meet in another semifinal this season
Seeded Players: (1) Casper Ruud, (2) Taylor Fritz, (3) Diego Schwartzman, (7) Marin Cilic.
Expected semifinal: Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic.
Dark Horse: Jenson Brooksby.
World No. 6 Casper Ruud has won only two out of five matches on grass so far and will look to improve his record on the surface. The 23-year-old faces World No. 197 Ryan Peniston in the first round and should be able to get the better of him.
His next opponent will be either Pedro Martinez or Francisco Cerundolo. Once again, Ruud should manage to get the win against either of the two and reach the quarterfinals.
Here, he could most likely face fifth seed Diego Schwartzman, although Jenson Brooksby should not be written off given his talent. Neither Ruud nor Schwartzman have the best record on grass, but the former should just about manage to get a win and reach the semifinals.
The other side of the half has two-time champion Marin Cilic, who recently made it to the semifinals of the French Open after beating Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the last 16 and quarterfinals, respectively. The Croat has 77 wins out of 108 matches on grass, which is the best win percentage outside of the 'Big 4'. Cilic will be able to make things difficult for his opponents during the Queen's Club Championships.
Cilic will face Liam Broady in the opening round and should have little trouble beating him. The 33-year-old will next face Lorenzo Musetti or the big-serving Alexander Bublik. Neither player can be taken lightly, but he is capable of beating either of them.
If Cilic reaches the quarterfinals, his most likely opponent will be fourth seed Taylor Fritz. The American has a meagre win percentage of 46.2% on grass and the Croat should be able to beat him to book his place in the semifinals.
Bottom Half: Can Andy Murray produce a surprise?
Seeded Players: (2) Matteo Berrettini, (3) Cameron Norrie, (6) Denis Shapovalov, (8) Reilly Opelka
Expected Semifinal: Andy Murray vs Cameron Norrie
Dark Horse: Andy Murray
Reigning champion Matteo Berrettini has returned to action after spending a couple of months out due to injury. The Italian had an impressive grass-court season in 2021 when he reached the Wimbledon final.
He is already in the final of the BOSS Open in Stuttgart where he faces Andy Murray for the trophy and will aim to defend his title at the Queen's Club Championships.
Matteo Makes It Through!
Matteo Berrettini defeats Otte 7-6 7-6 and advances into the #BOSSOPEN final
@theweissenhof https://t.co/WA5LGJoX1a
Berrettini's first-round match is against Dan Evans, who he beat in the quarterfinals of the tournament last year. The 26-year-old will most likely beat him and reach the last 16.
He could probably face Andy Murray for a spot in the quarterfinals. The Scot played some fantastic tennis to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stuttgart and he should be able to beat Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the Queen's Club Championships.
Andy Murray + grass = magic 🪄
He scores his first Top 5 win since 2016 over the first seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(4) 6-3 🙌
@andy_murray | @theweissenhof | #BOSSOPEN https://t.co/Ssk7jO48qi
If a rematch of their Stuttgart final takes place in London, there is a fair chance of Murray defeating the Italian given his experience and quality on grass. The 35-year-old will most likely face Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals, although the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Frances Tiafoe could also have a good run.
Murray beat the Canadian at the Madrid Open and should the pair meet, the Brit will have a good chance of getting the better of him again to reach the semifinals.
The other side of this half has Cameron Norrie who reached the final at the Queen's Club Championships last year. The 26-year-old will have a tough first-round match as he will face Grigor Dimitrov. He should be able to edge out the Bulgarian and reach the second round.
Norrie will most likely face Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round and should be able to defeat him to reach the quarterfinals. The World No. 11 will probably take on Reilly Opelka, although Alex de Minaur should not be written off.
Semifinal predictions
Marin Cilic def. Casper Ruud
Andy Murray def. Cameron Norrie
Final prediction
Marin Cilic def. Andy Murray