The action at the ATP New York Open continues on day two at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with eight matches on the slate, with Ivo Karlovic set to take on Jordan Thompson whilst 2019 runner-up Brayden Schnur meets Dominik Koepfer. As ever, we here at Last Word on Tennis are offering our picks across the board. But who will book their place in the second round and who will stumble to an early exit?
ATP New York Open
Go Soeda vs Kwon Soon-woo
Head-to-head: Soeda 1-0 Kwon
Go Soeda scored a couple of excellent wins in qualifying to reach the main draw, beating both Frederik Nielsen, a former-Wimbledon doubles’ champion, and Bernard Tomic. However, Kwon Soon-woo seems likely to pose Soeda a rather different set of challenges. The South Korean enjoyed an excellent 2019, winning two Challenger titles and breaking into the top 100 for the first time, a position he has maintained so far in 2020. However, he has struggled outside of his native Asia.
And with Soeda match tough and accustomed to the conditions at the New York Open, he may be able to catch Kwon cold here. It is Kwon who likely has the higher ceiling, but the veteran Soeda should not be underestimated because of that. He has been a top 50 player, achieving a career-high ranking of world #47 in 2012, and has won 56 tour-level matches. He will also be full of confidence after his qualifying exploits. Expect him to continue his fine run.
Prediction: Soeda in 3
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Paolo Lorenzi vs Danilo Petrovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Both Paolo Lorenzi and Danilo Petrovic came through the qualifying relatively easily to reach the main draw. The vastly experienced Lorenzi, after beating fellow veteran Guillermo Garcia Lopez 7-5 6-3, dismissed the struggling Noah Rubin for the loss of just four games. Petrovic, meanwhile, advanced to the final round of qualifying courtesy of Peter Polansky’s retirement before dispatching Bradley Klahn, 6-3 6-2, in one of the finest performances of his career.
But that rather speaks against his chances facing Lorenzi. The Italian may not be one of the most naturally gifted players on the ATP Tour, but he has more than made the most out of his talents, forging a fine career, highlighted by reaching the fourth round at the US Open in 2017 and winning the Austrian Open in 2016. The big-serving Petrovic does have a slightly better record on indoor hard courts than Lorenzi, but this will be his first match at tour-level. If Lorenzi can maintain the form he showed in the qualifying, he should make it through to the second round.
Prediction: Lorenzi in 2
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Kyle Edmund vs Yasutaka Uchiyama
Head-to-head: Uchiyama 1-0 Edmund
On paper, this looks an intriguing clash. After a career-best 2019, Yasutaka Uchiyama has played just one match so far this season, losing handily to Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the first round at Melbourne Park. But Kyle Edmund has also not yet found his feet in 2020. He did reach the quarterfinals in Auckland, but he was beaten in straight-sets in the first round at the Australian Open by Dusan Lajovic and looks a shadow of the player who made the last four in Melbourne two years ago. But for all that Edmund is struggling with his form, he is at least match fit. The same cannot be said of Uchiyama. As a result, this may just be the perfect opportunity for Edmund to claim a much-needed win.
Prediction: Edmund in 2
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Jason Jung vs Kevin Anderson
Head-to-head: first meeting
Jason Jung extended his dominant head-to-head advantage over Mitchell Krueger in the final round of qualifying to reach the main draw. But though the Taiwanese player is ranked just eleven spots below Kevin Anderson, he comes into this match the underdog. The South African battled injury throughout 2019, with his ranking tumbling out of the top ten to outside the top 100 as a result. But he is still a two-time Grand Slam finalist with a game to be reckoned with.
He showed glimpses of his best tennis at the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, although he will surely be disappointed to have lost to Taylor Fritz from two sets to the good in the second round in Melbourne. However, that defeat was in large part due to a lack of match fitness, his first-round clash with Ilya Ivashka having also gone the distance, rather than a failing in his game. Nonetheless, Jung has the game and likely the confidence to test Anderson. But the big-hitters experience should just about give him the edge here.
Prediction: Anderson in 3
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