After a fortnight of drama at the French Open in Paris, regular tour action returns in Sardinia, St Petersburg and at the ATP Cologne Indoors. There are a number of intriguing matches on the slate on day one in Germany and as ever we here at LWOT are offering our predictions for every match on the slate including Jan-Lennard Struff vs Oscar Otte. But who will book their place in the second round?
ATP Cologne Indoors Day One Predictions
John Millman vs Mischa Zverev
Head-to-head: first meeting
John Millman has not perhaps played as well as he would have liked in recent weeks, with the Australian having failed to advance beyond the second round at all of the five events he has played since the season resumed. In his defence, he has faced some tough draws, including coming up against Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round in Paris, but it is still a poor return for a player of his considerable talent. He certainly has work to do at the ATP Cologne Indoors.
Fortunately for Millman, he has been handed what looks like a more than winnable first-round match up against wildcard Mischa Zverev. The German serve-volleyer has had some excellent weeks in his career, not least a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2017, but he has played little tennis this season and in truth looks to be swiftly approaching the end of his career. Expect the consistent Millman to prove too strong.
Prediction: Millman in 2
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Hubert Hurkacz vs Marc Polmans
Head-to-head: first meeting
Hubert Hurkacz is another player to have struggled since the restart. There is no doubt that the Pole has talent, but after an excellent 2019 campaign, which set the stage for him to break into the top 30 earlier this year, he has failed to kick on since returning to the ATP Tour in August. However, he has what looks like a good chance to put that right at the ATP Cologne Indoors, where he will surely be targeting a deep run.
His first assignment is lucky loser Marc Polmans. The Australian, like many of his compatriots, is an industrious player, but he has not yet developed the weaponry that would enable to establish himself as a regular on the main tour. Millman, for example, has considerably greater weight of shot than Polmans. This match will be on Hurkacz’s racquet as a result. Considering Hurkacz’s form recently that is not entirely discouraging for Polmans, but the world #32 is too good of a player for this slump to continue indefinitely.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 2
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Steve Johnson vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: Johnson 1-0 Krajinovic
Steve Johnson won this pair’s only previous meeting, which came on an indoor hard court in Memphis in 2015. But in the intervening period, their careers have, for the most part, gone in opposite directions. Filip Krajinovic has established himself near the upper echelons of the sport in recent years, reaching the Paris Masters final back in 2017 and enjoying a memorable run to the last eight in ‘Cincinnati’ this August, where he thrashed Dominic Thiem in the second round.
Johnson, in contrast, has struggled. The American has been ranked as high as 21st in the world, but now finds himself outside the top 60 and he has won just four of the 10 matches he has played at tour-level this season. Krajinovic, by way of comparison, has won 16 of his 25 matches in 2020. Johnson may yet recapture former glories, but there has been little sign of that happening and with Krajinovic having thrived on indoor hard courts throughout his career, it is hard to see Johnson beginning that resurgence here.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 2
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