The ATP Chile Open in Santiago will put an end to an eventful Golden Swing. After a five year hiatus, the main tour returns to Chile, although sharing a calendar week with a pair of behemoths like Acapulco and Dubai certainly hurts the event in terms of star power. Without further ado, let’s dig into the four singles matches scheduled for Monday.
ATP Santiago Monday Predictions
Thiago Seyboth Wild vs Facundo Bagnis
Official head to head: first meeting
Unofficial head to head: Bagnis 1-0 Seyboth Wild
The Brazilian youngster, who had received 2018 and 2019 main draw wild cards in Sao Paulo (the event Santiago is replacing), will try to back up his solid performance from Rio de Janeiro. Seyboth Wild recovered from an extremely delicate situation against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a drama-filled match and then pushed Borna Coric to a deciding third set tiebreaker. The potential is definitely there, but he will need to work hard to defeat the pesky Bagnis. The Argentinian lefty is the more stable player, but lacks firepower. Which version of Seyboth Wild will show up? If it resembles the one from late 2019 or from last week, the 19-year-old has a sizeable chance to advance. But the electric crowd from Rio cannot give him an edge this time.
Prediction: Bagnis in 3
Roberto Carballés vs Jaume Munar
Head to head: Carballés 1-0 Munar
This all-Spanish battle will likely be a grind. Munar has more tools and larger upside, but has been mostly ineffective against Top 100 opposition, posting a 4-11 tour-level record on dirt over the last 52 weeks. Somehow, one of these victories came against Alexander Zverev. For his part, Carballés isn’t exactly enjoying the most successful start to his 2020 campaign. Only one of his three wins has come against a foe inside the Top 300 and he was beaten rather convincingly by Casper Ruud (6-1 6-0) and Federico Delbonis (6-2 6-4) in his last two tournaments. It will come down to little details.
Prediction: Munar in 3
Marcelo Tomás Barrios Vera vs Carlos Taberner
Head to head: first meeting
Terrific opportunity for both 22-year-olds. On one hand, the Chilean wild card is aspiring to seize the biggest win of his career. Barrios has been doing damage lately, posting a 9-1 record in February, although at the ITF 25.000 level. Slight difference. At the same time, Taberner is slowly but steadily approaching Top 100 territory. Win or lose, he is guaranteed to set a new career high ranking. Yet, based on recent displays such as his win over Fernando Verdasco in Córdoba or how easy he cruised through qualifying in Santiago, a substantial leap may be in store soon.
Prediction: Taberner in 2
Marco Cecchinato vs Hugo Dellien
Head to head: first meeting
It’s tough to say who needs a win more desperately. Sixth seed Dellien is winless in five tournaments this year and is in real danger of dropping out of the Top 100 if the negative trend continues. He probably keeps fond memories from Santiago, though, as he won a challenger last March in the Chilean capital.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Cecchinato, who was defending the Buenos Aires title and is on a four-match losing skid himself. Yes, I know it feels surreal now, but the Italian did actually beat (a resurgent) Novak Djokovic at the 2018 French Open quarterfinals.
Prediction: Cecchinato in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
