Normally the WTA gets a head start on the clay season in Charleston. This year the men—or at least the Spanish and German Davis Cup teams—caught up over the weekend, with their epic 3-2 bullfight in Valencia. This week both tours will take the next, small steps on the road to Roland Garros. Here’s a look at the four events kicking off on Monday, and what, if anything, they might tell us about the clay swing ahead.
Houston, Texas
$557,000; 250 ranking points
Red clay
Draw is here
John Isner is suddenly riding high again. After stumbling through the first three months of the season with a 2-5 record, he won the biggest title of his career at the Miami Open two weeks ago, and followed that up by leading the U.S. Davis Cup team to a sweep of Belgium in the quarterfinals in Nashville. Now he comes to Houston, a tournament he won in 2013. In past years, when Isner has had a good result, we’ve wondered whether he could replicate that success at a major; after all, his game makes him a threat to anyone. Now that he’s 32, there’s less reason to think that big, but maybe that’s a good thing for Isner. He can just try to do what he did in Miami—i.e., bomb serves and forehands—and see what comes of it.
As it is, Isner will come to Houston as the top seed and the favorite in this U.S.-heavy event. 14 fellow Americans, including his Davis Cup teammates Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison, and Steve Johnson, will join him there.
Wild card to watch: Nick Kyrgios
First-round match to watch: Frances Tiafoe vs. MacKenzie McDonald
John Isner's championship speech at the Miami Open:
