Preparations for the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami will begin in earnest this week in Acapulco and Dubai, with a host of top ten stars in action. With ten matches on the slate on day two at the Mexican Open, there should be plenty of entertaining action for the fans to enjoy and as ever, we here at LWOT are offering predictions across the board. Amongst those in action are Australian Open semifinalist Alexander Zverev, who faces Jason Jung, and defending champion Nick Kyrgios, who takes on Ugo Humbert. But who will book their place in the second round in Acapulco?
Mexican Open Day Two Predictions
John Isner vs Mischa Zverev
Head-to-head: Isner 3-3 Zverev
Mischa Zverev, though certain to eventually be overshadowed by his younger brother, has had an undeniably excellent career. One made all the more impressive by the way he rallied from injury and loss of motivation to enjoy an Indian summer, highlighted by his run to the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2017. But he is no longer the player he was three years ago, with tour-level outings increasingly rare for the German. Indeed, he is playing this week as a wildcard.
John Isner, who lost to Zverev 9-7 in the fifth in the second round during his memorable run at Melbourne Park, remains a formidable foe, in large part thanks to his huge serve. But the recurrence of the foot injury that so badly disrupted his 2019 at the Australian Open will surely be a concern. As will his first-round defeat to Jordan Thompson on his return to action at the New York Open. But with his serve and forehand likely to be particularly effective in the Acapulco conditions, up against a player with little recent experience of the highest level, expect Isner to get back to winning ways.
Prediction: Isner in 3
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Radu Albot vs Pedro Martinez
Head-to-head: first meeting
Under normal circumstances, Radu Albot would be the favourite here. The Moldovan has established himself as a dependable performer on hard courts at tour-level, whilst Pedro Martinez is rather more at home on the clay, where he has played the majority of his tennis throughout his career. But the Spaniard did successfully qualify at the Australian Open earlier this year, going onto reach the second round. He also qualified into the main draw in Cordoba, Buenos Aires and Rio, reaching the last eight at the latter.
His confidence should be high as a result, with his exploits in Brazil earning him a place in the main draw in Acapulco as a special exemption. Albot, in contrast, has been struggling with a back injury that kept him out of the Australian Open and he was beaten by the then-unranked Jack Sock in Delray Beach, where he looked short of match sharpness. With Martinez in the best form of his career, expect the Spaniard to take advantage.
Prediction: Martinez in 3
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Rafael Nadal vs Pablo Andujar
Head-to-head: Nadal 3-0 Andujar
Rafael Nadal may have been disappointed by his defeat in the Australian Open quarterfinals at the hands of Dominic Thiem. But the Austrian played a superb match and came close to overcoming the even more formidable challenge of Novak Djokovic in the final in Melbourne. And having had the better part of a month to digest that defeat, Nadal will surely be ready to return with renewed focus at the Mexican Open, where he faces his compatriot Pablo Andujar in the first round.
Andujar deserves great credit for having re-established himself in the world’s top 100 after a dreadful time with elbow injuries, which required him to undergo three surgeries, between 2016 and 2017. But it is nonetheless hard to see him beating Nadal, something he failed to accomplish in any of their three previous meetings, despite taking the first set off the great man in Rio in 2014. He has the quality to keep it respectable, but if Nadal plays with his usual determination, he should prove too strong for Andujar.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
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