With Roland Garros just a week away, every player in the field at the ATP Hamburg Open will surely be desperate to gather some potentially vital momentum ahead of the third Major of the year. There should be no shortage of excitement on day two in Hamburg as a result and we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all ten matches on the slate including Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert and Roberto Bautista Agut vs Nikoloz Basilashvili. But who will book their place in the second round?
ATP Hamburg Open Day Two Predictions
Gael Monfils vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: first meeting
Gael Monfils made a disappointing return to action last week at the Italian Open, losing in the second round in Rome in straight sets to Dominik Koepfer. Although the German was excellent in that match, Monfils was far from his best. But that is perhaps understandable in what was his first match since losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in Dubai in February. With a match now under his belt, it would be a surprise if the Frenchman did not put in an improved showing in Hamburg.
He may well need to up against the in-form Yannick Hanfmann, who arrives at the ATP Hamburg Open fresh from reaching the final in Kitzbuhel as a qualifier. This does not look like a good matchup for Hanfmann, however. The German is at his best when playing aggressive tennis from the baseline and hitting through opponents, but he can be guilty of pressing too hard. Up against a mover of Monfils’ quality, that looks like a real possibility.
Prediction: Monfils in 3
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Yoshihito Nishioka vs Dominik Koepfer
Head-to-head: first meeting
Yoshihito Nishioka has established himself as a fine player in recent years, well-worth his top 50 ranking. In fact, he may have arrived just in time for Japanese tennis, with his nation’s long-time standard bearer Kei Nishikori in the midst of a prolonged slump. Unfortunately, Nishioka seems a long way from emulating his compatriot’s achievements on this surface, having endured a miserable start to this year’s European clay-court swing.
Koepfer, in contrast, has excelled. The German did stumble in Kitzbuhel, losing to Maximilian Marterer in the first round of qualifying, but he played some of the finest tennis of his career in Rome. After coming through the qualifying, he battled past Alex de Minaur before thrashing Monfils and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the quarterfinals. There, he even managed to take a set off the great Djokovic, but ultimately came up short, losing 3-6 6-4 4-6.
Nonetheless, he will surely be fully of confidence heading into the ATP Hamburg Open, where he was granted a place in the main draw as a special exemption after his exploits in Rome. He will certainly be in higher spirits than Nishioka, who saw his Italian Open campaign brought to a crashing halt at the hands of Grigor Dimitrov in the second round, with the Bulgarian winning 6-1 6-0. That will surely have put a dent in Nishioka’s confidence and Koepfer should be in position to take advantage.
Prediction: Koepfer in 2
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Alexander Bublik vs Albert Ramos Vinolas
Head-to-head: Bublik 1-0 Ramos Vinolas
In this pair’s only previous meeting Alexander Bublik won a three-set thriller on the indoor hard courts at the 2017 Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Bublik has since established himself in the ranks of the top 100, whilst Albert Ramos Vinolas, who was then a top 20 player, has seen his star wane somewhat. But it would nonetheless be a surprise to see Bublik come out on top again, this time on the clay courts at the ATP Hamburg Open.
For whilst Ramos Vinolas may no longer be the force he once was, he is still a very effective clay-courter, with 215 wins on the ATP Tour to his name. It should be noted that he has not yet won a match on the European clay this season, but he has faced tough first-round draws in both Kitzbuhel and Rome. Up against Bublik, who has thrived on quicker surfaces and struggled to make much of an impact on the ‘terre battue’, Ramos Vinolas will surely like his chances of snapping his losing streak.
Prediction: Ramos Vinolas in 3
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