Day 4 of the ATP ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament will feature the remaining five second-round matches in Rotterdam. We’ve had a couple of upsets on Wednesday as Daniil Medvedev and Roberto Bautista Agut were thrown out. Who can be the surprise winner on Thursday?
ATP Rotterdam Day 4 Predictions
Vasek Pospisil vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: First meeting
As many comebacks done mostly through the ATP Challenger Tour, Vasek Pospisil has been mostly under the radar. But the Canadian’s stellar 27-6 win/loss record since October will not go unnoticed anymore. After a runner-up finish in Montpellier last week, Pospisil came to Rotterdam and played one of the best matches of his career to defeat Daniil Medvedev.
Filip Krajinovic made the second round with a rather comfortable outing of local wildcard Tallon Griekspoor. The Serbian can play very well indoors and is great at taking time away from his opponents. But ultimately, I expect him to have to succumb to Pospisil’s excellent serve and forehand combination.
Prediction: Pospisil in 3
David Goffin vs Jannik Sinner
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jannik Sinner advanced to the second round after Radu Albot had to make a last-minute withdrawal. The Italian has only won one match in 2020 so far and will probably be lacking playtime. The same can’t be said about David Goffin, who came to Rotterdam having showcased some brilliant form in January. The Belgian almost had a shocker of a loss in the opening round, being two points away from losing to Robin Haase.
We’ll trust that it was only a bad day at the office for Goffin. The Belgian likes to take the ball early and will take time away from Sinner, therefore not allowing the Italian to play the game on his terms. Goffin also has the experience advantage to make some changes in case it goes wrong.
Prediction: Goffin in 2
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Aljaz Bedene
Head-to-head: First meeting
Stefanos Tsitsipas was on the ropes against Hubert Hurkacz at 6-7 0-2 down but found the patience to keep the ball in play a bit longer and finally force an unforced error galore from the Pole. This form won’t get the Greek far though as he is struggling with some sort of confidence issues.
Aljaz Bedene was, unsurprisingly, the more stable player in his first-round victory against Benoit Paire. While it has gone unnoticed, Bedene has made considerable improvements to his indoor game, capped off with a final run in Metz last season. While it would be a huge upset, it’s not unthinkable to have Bedene beating Tsitsipas here. If the Slovenian has a great serving day, anything can happen.
Prediction: Bedene in 3
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: Rublev 2-1
Andrey Rublev is through to the second round with an absolute demolition of Nikoloz Basilashvili. The Russian never faced a breakpoint, proving that he still has the form that has brought him 12 wins this season already (and just one loss). Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik had one of his better days in terms of focus and put up some great serving numbers himself to dispatch Gregoire Barrere.
While Bublik can undoubtedly have it close on the sheer power of his serve, it will take more to stop Rublev now. The Russian has improved his game in various areas and has got this in the bag.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Gael Monfils vs Gilles Simon
Head-to-head: Simon 7-2
That’s a crazy head-to-head record these two have against each other. Both Frenchmen love to counterpunch and turn defense into offense and their styles produce a weird mash-up. Their baseline rallies would often turn into very long slugfests. In the past, it was Gilles Simon who was able to drag down his compatriot and force errors out of him. However, don’t expect it to be too easy this time around.
Gael Monfils comes into the match in great form, having just won an ATP 250 event in Montpellier. The Frenchman is the defending champion here and the indoor conditions clearly suit his game. Monfils has to go out of his comfort zone a bit in this matchup but playing as well as he has been since the beginning of the year, I trust him to do just that.
Prediction: Monfils in 3
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