Thursday at the Atlanta Open will see us wrap up the second round. Who will move on to the quarterfinals? Here are thoughts and predictions on all four of the day’s matches.
ATP Atlanta Open Day 4 Predictions
Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmancovic
This promises to be an intriguing battle between two of the game’s most promising young players. Kecmanovic is having a brilliant year on the ATP tour, reaching his first ATP final in Antalya as well as making the quarterfinals in Indian Wells. In his opening round, the Serb recorded an impressive straight sets victory against the home favorite Jack Sock, who was playing his first match on tour since January. The hard courts suit Kecmancovic’s game, providing extra purchase on his serve.
Like Kecmancovic, Humbert has also been having a great year. The Frenchman had a very impressive run at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round, a run that saw him dispatch fellow NextGen player Felix Auger Alliasime in straight sets. If both players produce their best, then I expect this to be a physical battle.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 3
Alex de Minaur vs Bradley Klahn
Alex de Minaur is another of the game’s highly rated young players. The young Australian enjoyed a good run of form at the beginning of the year, winning his first ATP tour title in Sydney, defeating the experienced Italian Andreas Seppi in the final. This was followed by a run to the third round of the Australian Open, where he was defeated by Rafael Nadal. Bradley Klahn is a player who is just inside the top 100 and recorded a good straight sets first round win over Marius Copil. The American will be looking for further ranking points to establish himself within the top 100. This is an important match for both players, as De Minaur has not been in the best run of form, but in my opinion, the young Aussie has more firepower than Klahn.
Prediction: de Minaur in 2
Bernard Tomic vs Matthew Ebden
Bernard Tomic lived up to his unpredictable reputation in the opening round, coming back from a set down to record an impressive victory over Frances Tiafoe. It just goes to show that when Tomic is on form, he has a lot of talent. In Matthew Ebden, Tomic faces a player who may not have the power of Tiafoe, but is a good mover and wears opponents down from the back of the court. This promises to be an interesting match between two players who possess good all round games. It’s always difficult to predict what’s going to happen when Tomic is on the court.
Prediction: Ebden in 3
Kevin King vs Taylor Fritz
World #405 Kevin King produced one of the biggest upsets of the year in defeating Gregor Dimitrov in the opening round to secure his first ATP Tour win in straight sets. However, in Taylor Fritz, King faces a very different opponent. Unlike Dimitrov, Fritz has enjoyed a stellar run of form, that started after a very successful clay court season. Unlike some of the other American players, Fritz played a high number of clay court events to gain confidence in the red dirt. This clearly paid off as Fritz went on to win his first ATP Title on the grass courts of Eastbourne. Fritz is a player who has a big serve, a weapon that allows to dictate play with his forehand.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
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Disagree with our Atlanta Open predictions? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
