The ATP Hamburg European Open will feature the top seed Daniil Medvedev in action on Tuesday as he begins his campaign for a first clay-court title of his career.
Who will book their places in round two? We predict these three matches plus the other seven to be played on Tuesday.
ATP Hamburg European Open Day 2 Predictions
Cristian Garin vs Kei Nishikori
Head-to-head: first meeting
Garin and Nishikori have had contrasts in terms of form and results over the the last 18 months. The Chilean emerged as a clay-court stalwart during that span, winning four career titles on the surface. Meanwhile, Nishikori has lost his status as a Top 10 player. He is still comfortably Japan’s No.1, but his current position of World No.35 leaves a lot to be desired.
It is worth pointing out that Nishikori is only just coming back from a year-long break after elbow surgery. The 30-year-old also suffered a setback in his preparation for the US Open when he tested positive for coronavirus. He did mark his return to professional tennis on the rescheduled European clay-court swing, losing early in both Kitzbuhel and Rome. This is likely to be a similar occurrence in Hamburg for Nishikori who is playing an opponent with ten match wins on clay in 2020.
Prediction: Garin in 3
Fabio Fognini vs Philipp Kohlschreiber
Head-to-head: Fognini 2-7 Kohlschreiber
This is a terrible matchup for Fabio Fognini, who has struggled big time to counter Kohlschreiber’s excellent shot-making in their previous matches. The German leads the series 7-2 overall, and 4-1 on clay, but it is evident he has lost a step in the last year or so which makes him vulnerable to fall so early at tour-level events. Fognini at present doesn’t look like a player who can strike at an opportunity for the odd deep run this week. However, he should be able able to turn the tables in his favor in this one.
Prediction: Fognini in 3
Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert
Head-to-head: first meeting
Top seed Daniil Medvedev will play in his first match on clay in more than a year. The Russian is fresh off a semifinal run at the US Open, but he will have to find his feet on clay very quickly against an in-form Ugo Humbert. The French left-hander arrives in Hamburg with confidence-boosting victories over Kevin Anderson and Fabio Fognini at the Rome Masters.
Humbert can be a nuisance to play against especially when provided with room to dictate play with his forehand. He will still find it extremely difficult to hit right through the Russian who has made a habit of absorbing pace from far back. The big question mark is still on Medvedev’s shoulder, will it hinder his serving and his ability to handle the high bounce on clay? If he is fully fit, that should not be a major concern.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
