The ATP Tour returns to some degree of normalcy this week following the conclusion of the last Grand Slam of the year, the rescheduled French Open. A new ATP 250 event on clay in Sardinia, Italy has been added to the modified calendar as top level pro tennis will take place this week on a picturesque Mediterranean island. Here are your predictions for the first day of the main draw with 5 matches on the schedule.
Jiri Vesely vs Kamil Majchrzak
These players have a split h2h but Vesely has the clay court win. Poland’s Majchrzak has lost his last two matches after winning the Prostejov Challenger while Vesely is 4-1 in his last 5. There’s no clear favorite here but given the h2h win on clay, Vesely should be the favorite to extend his run of solid results and reach round 2. Vesely in 2
Pablo Cuevas vs Lorenzo Musetti
Musetti represents a formidable challenge for the veteran Cuevas. There’s a massive age and experience gap here, as the teenage Musetti, who recently won the Forli Challenger on clay, is just now reaching the ATP level of play. Cuevas remains a solid player on the surface and he won’t be easy to beat, but the momentum is clearly on the side of Musetti, who enjoys playing on home soil and beat both Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori in Rome. Musetti in 3
Andrea Pellegrino vs Stefano Travaglia
Travaglia leads the h2h 3-1 and he’s won every match on clay. The more experienced Italian player has been excellent on European clay in recent weeks, and he reached the third round of the French Open via upsets of Pablo Andujar and Kei Nishikori. A glance at Pellegrino’s recent matches also shows he’s playing well, but the level of opposition he’s been facing is below Travaglia’s. Given the h2h, Travaglia is a clear favorite. Travaglia in 2
Jozef Kovalik vs Pablo Andujar
Andujar has a recent win against Kovalik at a clay court challenger and has a solid clay court game. Despite Kovalik’s solid performances in the qualifying matches, Andujar has to be a slight favorite in this one. Andujar in 3
Andrej Martin vs Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul has shown he’s more than capable on clay and Martin is relatively average competition with a 5-5 record since pro tennis officially returned. This should be a close match but Paul is good enough to beat a player of Martin’s level on this surface, he’s not going to upset a ton of players ranked above him, but winning a match like this is how ATP players earn their living and stay on the tour. Paul in 3
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