There has been plenty of entertaining tennis so far at the ATP Acapulco Open and the excitement should continue on day three in Mexico. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Laslo Djere vs Alexander Zverev. But who will reach the quarterfinals?
ATP Acapulco Open Day Three Predictions
Casper Ruud vs Tallon Griekspoor
Head-to-head: Griekspoor 2-0 Ruud
Casper Ruud has made a fine start to the season, reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open, and he continued that with a 6-4 6-1 win over Daniel Elahi Galan. However, he may need to be at his best up against the qualifier Tallon Griekspoor. The Dutchman won three matches to reach the main draw, beating Hernan Casanova, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Denis Kudla. He then got the better of Kudla again, who received a reprieve as a lucky loser but was unable to take advantage, in the first round.
Griekspoor has also beaten Ruud in both of their previous meetings, in 2015 at a Futures event in Finland and two years ago at the Koblenz Challenger. However, the Norwegian has improved considerably in the interim, particularly on hard courts. Indeed, there is a reason that whilst he has notched 66 victories at ATP-level, Griekspoor has recorded only four. The qualifier is playing well enough that this should be close, but expect Ruud’s quality to tell in the decisive moments.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
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Miomir Kecmanovic vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: first meeting
Miomir Kecmanovic’s partnership with new coach David Nalbandian did not get off to the best of starts at the ATP Cordoba Open, where he lost his opener to eventual champion Juan Manuel Cerundolo. But he bounced back to reach the semifinals in Buenos Aires, although the manner of his defeat there to Diego Schwartzman was surely concerning, and he looked sharp in his opener at the ATP Acapulco Open, beating Feliciano Lopez in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.
Grigor Dimitrov, meanwhile, had been out of action since losing to Aslan Karatsev in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, a match in which he was clearly bothered by a back problem. He made a winning return in the first round in Acapulco when Adrian Mannarino retired trailing 4-6 0-3. The Bulgarian has a good record in Acapulco, where he won the title in 2014, and although Kecmanovic has the quality to challenge him, this is a match Dimitrov should be winning.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
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Fabio Fognini vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: Fognini 1-0 Norrie
Cameron Norrie was well-beaten by Fabio Fognini in their only previous meeting, which came in the semifinals in Los Cabos three years ago. But the Briton has been playing some good tennis in 2021, reaching the third round at the Australian Open and the second round in Rotterdam as a qualifier, and he made an assured start to his ATP Acapulco Open campaign, beating Stefan Kozlov of the USA for the loss of only six games.
Fognini, meanwhile, has played indifferently by his standards. He did reach the fourth round at the Australian Open, coming through a dramatic second-round clash with his countryman Salvatore Caruso, but was dismissed there by Rafael Nadal. But in his first match since that heavy defeat, he bounced back by beating Stefano Travaglia 7-5 6-2. This match looks likely to be decided from the baseline and that should favour the Italian. If he is at his best, Fognini’s greater weight of shot should give him advantage that Norrie cannot overcome.
Prediction: Fognini in 2
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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs John Isner
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 2-2 Isner
John Isner is clearly not the force he once was. The big-serving American has struggled to stay fit over the past two seasons, whilst the pressures of raising a family during a global pandemic have also restricted his playing time, with Isner perhaps the biggest name to choose not to travel to Melbourne for the Australian Open. However, as Caruso learned in the first round at the ATP Acapulco Open, the power Isner can generate ensures he can still do real damage at this level.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who opened his campaign with a comprehensive 6-1 6-4 win over Benoit Paire, will be well-aware of that. He split his four meetings with the American, losing their first two matches before eking out two hard-fought victories, including at the ATP Cincinnati Masters last season. That said, it would be a surprise were the Greek not to edge ahead in their head-to-head here. His own serve is good enough to keep Isner at bay and, if he can engage the 35-year-old in enough rallies, he has enough variety to unsettle Isner.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
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