The story of the week will be Roger Federer’s comeback, but there is plenty of tennis to be played before that, including six first-round matches on Monday. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match across the board, including Lorenzo Sonego vs Taylor Fritz. But who will reach the second round?
ATP Qatar Open Day One Predictions
Aslan Karatsev vs Mubarak Shannan Zayid
Head-to-head: Karatsev 1-0 Mubarak Shannan Zayid
This is a battle of the wildcards but one of them arrives at the ATP Qatar Open fresh from making the Australian Open semifinals whilst the other hasn’t played a competitive match in over a year and a half. The pair have met before, when Aslan Karatsev beat Mubarak Shannan Zayid in three sets at an ITF event three years ago, but a lot has changed since that match.
Zayid actually showcased some potential back then and was arguably the best talent to have emerged from Qatar. But he has failed to kick on and, in truth, his career appears to be pretty much over at 25-years-old. That much is clear from his lack of an ATP ranking. As a result, he shouldn’t stand much of a chance here. Even if Karatsev doesn’t play as well as he did in reaching the last four in Melbourne, this might be quite brutal for the Qatari.
Prediction: Karatsev in 2
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Nikoloz Basilashvili vs John Millman
Head-to-head: Basilashvili 2-2 Millman
Nikoloz Basilashvili hasn’t defeated a top 250 opponent in more than a year, yet still finds himself situated in the top 40 because of the changes introduced by the ATP in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which have all but frozen the rankings in place. His actual position should be far below that and that is reflected by the dreadful performances he has been putting in, one after another.
His head is clearly not in the right place at the moment, which could be a result of his issues off the court. Basilashvili is probably too good for this state of affairs to last forever, but there haven’t been many signs to suggest that a revival in his fortunes could happen against as solid and committed a competitor as Australia’s John Millman.
Prediction: Millman in 2
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Reilly Opelka vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Head-to-head: Opelka 1-1 Bautista Agut
This should be a great first-round clash. Reilly Opelka hasn’t had the perfect start to 2020, but his loss to Marton Fucsovics in Rotterdam looks better in hindsight with the Hungarian going on to reach Sunday’s final there. Roberto Bautista Agut, meanwhile, has suffered a few peculiar losses so far this season so the Spaniard should be keen to make an impact at the ATP Qatar Open. That could well make for an absolute blockbuster here.
Opelka’s serve can keep any match close, but Bautista Agut generally likes the conditions in the Middle East. Indeed, the Spaniard won the biggest title of his career not far away from Doha at the Dubai Tennis Championships back in 2018 and he has also performed consistently well in the Qatari capital, winning this tournament in 2019. Even against the formidable power boasted by Opelka, Bautista Agut should be considered the slight favourite to win this match.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
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