It’s been a long two week hiatus from ATP and WTA tennis with the mandatory quarantine in Australia, but the resumption of the main tours’ tennis season is here! And this includes the scintillating ATP Murray River Open, where top players such as Stan Wawrinka will be competing later this week. For Monday, we still have many exciting matchups to discuss! Who will win?
ATP Murray River Open Day 1 Predictions
Mackenzie McDonald vs Richard Gasquet
Head to Head: never played
MacKenzie McDonald started out 2021 with a straight sets loss to Sam Querrey. Querrey played very well in that match at all, but McDonald found it very tough to hit through Querrey. Richard Gasquet has not played a match yet in 2021, but finished 2020 strong. The Frenchman made the semifinals of the indoor hard ATP event in Sofia to end last season.
These two have never played before. McDonald is going to try to control the court with his good serve and aggressive groundstrokes. Gasquet has more rally tolerance and likes to work the ball around the court, especially with his beautiful one-handed backhand. Gasquet generates such great angles with that backhand and McDonald would really do well to keep it away from that wing. Gasquet is the stronger player and will force McDonald to overhit. Gasquet moves on.
Prediction: Gasquet in 2
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Alex Bolt
Head to Head: 2-1 Bolt
Given his injury history, it’s always great to see Thanasi Kokkinakis on the court! He’s such a talented player, just has had terrible injury luck. Kokkinakis unofficially came back and played Australian UTR’s. Kokkinakis went 7-0 in those matches and did not drop a set. Alex Bolt has not played yet during the 2021 season. He will be looking to snap a six-match losing streak, which includes Australian UTR matches.
Bolt leads the head to head 2-1, but the matchup is tied 1-1 on hard. Kokkinakis can blast both his serve and groundstrokes while also playing with good margins. Bolt has a huge lefty serve and can really make opponents uncomfortable, but he was out of form late last season and we haven’t seen him since. Expect Kokkinakis to get the win over Bolt in a tight match.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3
Marin Cilic vs Jeremy Chardy
Head to Head: 4-2 Cilic
Marin Cilic had a weak end to the 2020 season and has not played yet in 2021. His game is excellent when it’s clicking, but those days are getting more and more rare. Jeremy Chardy had a strong start in Antalya, making the semifinals before losing a tight three-setter to Alexander Bublik.
Cilic leads the head to head 4-2, including a 2-1 edge on hard courts. Both players want to gain control of points with big serves and dictate play from the baseline. However, Cilic has been doing that less-and-less successfully recently. And Chardy’s good showing to start 2021, beating players such as Fabio Fognini and Jan-Lennard Struff, shows that he’s a threat in this matchup. This one is going to be an upset. Chardy wins.
Prediction: Chardy in 3
Bernard Tomic vs Marc Polmans
Head to Head: 1-0 Tomic
Bernard Tomic did very well to qualify for the Australian Open to start his 2021 season. He won every qualifying match in straight sets, and somewhat surprisingly, showed great fight in those matches. Marc Polmans is always a fighter. He has been playing UTR Australia matches this season, going 5-1 to start the year.
Tomic leads the head to head 1-0, with the win on a hard court. Tomic is certainly the more skilled player, but his motivation levels are always a mystery. Polmans has been in Australia a while and has not had to quarantine, while Tomic has. That’s huge. Plus, Polmans focuses a lot on consistency and long rallies. This will not be a fun matchup for Tomic. I know many want to see Tomic-Kyrgios in the second round, but Polmans has other ideas. Polmans pulls the upset.
Prediction: Polmans in 3
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