The first round of the 2021 ATP Great Ocean Road Open will be completed on Tuesday. Some of the seeds might be in danger, including Pablo Andujar and Tennys Sandgren. Who do you think will advance?
We’re predicting all 15 of today’s matches, between this and three other articles. One article features Sam Querrey vs Henri Laaksonen, another headlines Jordan Thompson vs Gianluca Mager, and the last features Damir Dzumhur vs Federico Delbonis.
ATP Great Ocean Road Open Day 2 Predictions
Maxime Cressy vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Head-to-head: Herbert 1-0
An old-school matchup between two players who are very keen on playing in the forecourt. Maxime Cressy does it a lot more often though, serve-and-volleying after literally every single serve. His playstyle is literally to go for broke on every point, which makes him a very dangerous and unpredictable opponent. With Pierre-Hugues Herbert’s shaky form as of late, this is very likely to go down to the wire. As a standout doubles player, the Frenchman is very well-versed in passing shots, which might just give him the edge.
Prediction: Herbert in 3
Pablo Cuevas vs Pablo Andujar
Head-to-head: Cuevas 3-2
With their last meeting all the way back in 2011, perhaps the head-to-head is not something we can really look at here. Both players have been far from impressive in their recent hard court performances. Pablo Andujar played in Delray Beach but was eliminated in the opening round by the 41-year-old Ivo Karlovic.
Prediction: Andujar in 3
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Botic van de Zandschulp vs Tristan Schoolkate
Head-to-head: First meeting
Don’t be fooled by Tristan Schoolkate’s ranking; the 20-year-old Australian hasn’t played much on the professional circuits yet but he’s definitely a prospect for the future and showed that while losing a very tough match to Bernard Tomic in Australian Open qualifying. That said, it’s tough to expect him to beat Botic van de Zandschulp. The Dutchman has practically no experience in tour-level events but had to come up with the goods to qualify for the Australian Open. He’s also been one of the most dominant forces on the Challenger circuit.
Prediction: van de Zandschulp in 2
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John-Patrick Smith vs Tennys Sandgren
Head-to-head: 2-2
Tennys Sandgren has played some of his best tennis at the Australian swing in the past and the conditions seem to really suit him. John-Patrick Smith barely missed out on qualifying for the Australian Open and his unusual all-court style can be a great asset to disrupt an opponent’s baseline rhythm. Sandgren usually handles that quite well though and the power he can generate off both wings should be enough to pull through.
Prediction: Sandgren in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
