Johnson expecting tough Granollers challenge

Marcel Granollers has never beaten Steve Johnson, but the American is not expecting an easy semifinal clash in Newport.

Published : Jul 21, 2018 18:54 IST

Steve Johnson expects a tough challenge in the Hall of Fame Championships semifinals despite holding a 2-0 record over opponent Marcel Granollers.

Johnson booked his place in the last four in Newport with a comprehensive 6-2 6-3 victory over Dudi Sela on Friday, the American needing less than an hour to progress.

His win came after Granollers had dispatched top seed Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-1, booking his first semifinal since 2015 in Zagreb.

Johnson has won both matches against the Spaniard – in 2014 and 2015 – so will go into the clash as favourite, but he insists it will not be an easy task.

"That [their head-to-head record] is not going to play into effect here," Johnson said.

"He's a great tennis player. He's won [ATP] 500s, he's no slouch. He's a Grand Slam doubles champion. So he knows how to come in and be aggressive.

"He's a tough competitor and I know he's going to come out tomorrow guns blazing and I'm going to try to do the same."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment