With a packed schedule on day two at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, there should be plenty of tennis for the fans to enjoy. A number of star names are in action, including world #2 Rafael Nadal, who takes on Pablo Andujar, and second seed Alexander Zverev, who opens his campaign against Jason Jung. But who will book their place in the second round?
Mexican Open Day 2 Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs John Millman
Head-to-head: Fritz 1-0 Millman
Taylor Fritz clearly has ability, but he has arguably failed to make the most of that so far in his career, despite some fine results. And whilst he can be proud of his efforts at the Australian Open, where he reached the third round, losing there to eventual finalist Dominic Thiem, he has disappointed since, losing in the quarterfinals at the Newport Beach Challenger and crashing out in the first round in Delray Beach. But he faces a man in John Millman who may be going through some struggles of his own.
The Australian is an excellent competitor with a solid game, but he missed a superb chance to score what would have perhaps been a career-defining win over Roger Federer at the Australian Open. That match certainly looked to be playing on his mind as he lost in the first round in Delray Beach to Yoshihito Nishioka, although the Japanese did go on to reach the final. There looks to be little in this match, but the relatively slow conditions could favour Millman, who will surely relish the chance to grind out a win and put the disappointment of his Australian Open defeat behind him.
Prediction: Millman in 3
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Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Alex Bolt
Head-to-head: Auger-Aliassime 1-0 Bolt
Felix Auger-Aliassime arrives at the Mexican Open in excellent form, having reached back-to-back finals at the Rotterdam Open and in Marseille, albeit failing to win a set in either. He also beat Alex Bolt for the loss of only three games in their only previous meeting, which came earlier this season in Adelaide. He should be the heavy favourite here as a result. However, he has had almost no turnaround time between the Open 13 and Acapulco, having been playing in the final in France on Sunday.
The lucky loser Bolt, in contrast, has been in Mexico over the weekend, playing in the qualifying, where he beat Sebastian Offner in his opener before losing in the final round to Damir Dzumhur. That could well give him a real advantage heading into this match or at least level the playing field significantly. But will it be enough to take Bolt to victory? Considering the formidable power and athleticism of Auger-Aliassime, most likely not.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 3
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Reilly Opelka vs Kwon Soon-woo
Head-to-head: Opelka 1-0 Kwon
Reilly Opelka could well be one to watch at the Mexican Open. He arrives in Acapulco fresh from winning the second title of his career in Delray Beach and his powerful game should be well-suited to the relatively slow, high-bouncing courts in Acapulco. And he will surely be feeling confident heading into this match against Kwon Soon-woo, having beaten the South Korean in straight-sets en route to the title in Florida. Fatigue could perhaps be an issue for the American, but he does not play a particularly physically demanding style of tennis and, in truth, there seems to be little reason to expect a different outcome in Acapulco.
Prediction: Opelka in 2
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Nick Kyrgios vs Ugo Humbert
Head-to-head: first meeting
One can never be quite sure what to expect from Kyrgios. There is no doubt that the Australian is talented, although perhaps not quite to the extent he believes, with his serve one of the most effective on the ATP Tour. But he remains as volatile on the court as he does off it, with his later outburst on social media calling clay-court specialists dirt rats in need of extermination disappointing to say the least. That said, he does seem to enjoy playing in Acapulco.
The conditions, both in terms of how the courts play and how he can spend his time between matches, clearly suit him and he played some of the finest tennis of his career in a memorable run to the title last season. Ugo Humbert, meanwhile, has been playing some solid tennis of late on the hard courts of North America. But if Kyrgios is at his best, the Australian should be able to overpower his opponent and book his place in the last 16.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 2
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