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Cameron Norrie, John Isner and Taylor Fritz lead a packed field in the fifth edition of the Los Cabos Open, set to be played at the Delmar International Facility between July 19-25.
Also present in the draw are Jordan Thompson and Andreas Seppi, as well as a slew of Americans including Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson and Mackenzie McDonald.
With main draw action set to begin on Monday, here is a look at the prospects of the top names in the fray.
Top half: Americans Taylor Fritz, Steve Johnson and Mackenzie McDonald look to challenge Cameron Norrie
Top-seeded players: [1] Cameron Norrie, [3] Taylor Fritz, [6] Steve Johnson and [8] Mackenzie McDonald
Expected semifinal: Cameron Norrie vs Taylor Fritz
Dark horse: Denis Kudla
Top seed Cameron Norrie has landed in a tricky section of the draw. The Brit has been handed a first-round bye and could face Elias Ymer in the second round.
The first real test for the Brit, though, should come in the quarterfinals, where he could face either eighth seed Mackenzie McDonald or Denis Kudla. Both men enjoy playing on hardcourts and have strong baseline games that could cause a few problems for Norrie.
Kudla, in particular, has played some impressive tennis in recent weeks. He reached the third round at Wimbledon, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, and the last 16 at the Hall of Fame Open. The 28-year-old will fancy his chances of producing an upset or two in Los Cabos.
Elsewhere in the top half, Taylor Fritz and Steve Johnson could lock horns in the last eight. While Johnson has a straightforward draw until the quarterfinals, Fritz will need to be wary of a potential second-round clash with Newport quarterfinalist Peter Gojowczyk.
Prediction for semifinal: Taylor Fritz def. Cameron Norrie
Bottom half: John Isner and Sam Querrey on a collision course
Top-seeded players: [2] John Isner, [4] Sam Querrey, [5] Jordan Thompson and [7] Andreas Seppi
Expected semifinal: John Isner vs Sam Querrey
Dark horse: Ivo Karlovic
Second seed John Isner leads the bottom half of the draw, which is packed with big servers. Isner has a relatively easy opener against either Jason Jung or Evgeny Donskoy. The American is projected to face Italian veteran Andreas Seppi in the quarterfinals.
Sam Querrey, the fourth seed, will face either Brandon Nakashima or Jeffrey John Wolf in the second round. The 33-year-old could also run into Jordan Thompson in the last eight.
For that to happen, Thompson will have to find a way to navigate his section of the draw, which includes the big-serving Ivo Karlovic. The Croat continues to rack up wins even at the age of 42; he reached the last 16 in Newport, before losing to top seed Alexander Bublik in three hard-fought sets.
Prediction for semifinal: John Isner def. Jordan Thompson
Prediction for final
John Isner def. Taylor Fritz
