There should be plenty of entertaining tennis on day two at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships, even if the tournament was handed a blow by Roger Federer’s withdrawal last week. Day two will see the first round continue, as well as the first second-round action, and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Alex de Minaur vs Jeremy Chardy. But who will advance?
ATP Dubai Tennis Championships Day Two Predictions
Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs John Millman
Head-to-head: first meeting
Bernabe Zapata Miralles impressed in finding a way through the qualifying and into the main draw. But the Spaniard lacks experience at tour-level, having played only five ATP matches so far in his career. His 1-4 record does not inspire massive confidence either. John Millman has not quite hit the heights so far this season, but there is a reason that the Australian is ranked 41st in the world. Expect him to prove strong for Zapata Miralles.
Prediction: Millman in 2
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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Radu Albot
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a difficult start to the season, Radu Albot bounced back in impressive fashion by reaching the third round at the Australian Open and the semifinals in Singapore. His game is not flashy, but it is very dependable and he often makes himself a hard man to beat. But Alejandro Davidovich Fokina excels at taking the ball early and his ability to take the ball down the line can often catch opponent’s out. If he is focused and at his best, he should have the beating of Albot.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3
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Christopher O’Connell vs Lloyd Harris
Head-to-head: first meeting
Lloyd Harris arrived at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships after a solid week in Doha, where he reached the second round as a qualifier and upset Stan Wawrinka in his opener. He backed that up by beating Teymuraz Gabashvili and Blaz Rola in the qualifying, both in straight sets. Christopher O’Connell has been improving of late, and also looked sharp in coming through the qualifying without dropping a set, but he has yet to show that he can regularly compete at the highest level. Expect the powerfully equipped Harris to have just about too much for the Australian.
Prediction: Harris in 3
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Yuki Bhambri vs Aljaz Bedene
Head-to-head: first meeting
Yuki Bhambri is a fine player on his day. The former-world #83 demonstrated as much by beating his compatriots Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan to reach the main draw at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships. But his game does lack a real x-factor that would allow him to dictate and the rest of his game is not quite strong enough to compensate for that lack against the men’s game’s more established figures. Aljaz Bedene, who has rarely found himself outside the top 100 in recent years, is just such a player. The experienced Slovenian should have too much in his locker for Bhambri.
Prediction: Bedene in 3
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Emil Ruusuvuori vs Jordan Thompson
Head-to-head: Ruusuvuori 1-0 Thompson
Long rallies look likely to be the order of the day in this clash, with both Emil Ruusuvuori and Jordan Thompson good movers. But it was the Finn who won their only previous meeting, a three-set battle in Nur-Sultan last year and it is not all that difficult to see why. Ruusuvuori’s game is that much more versatile than Thompson’s, with his backhand markedly superior to the Australian’s. He is also more comfortable stepping in and dictating. Expect him to have the edge once again.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 3
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