On day two at the ATP Sardinia Open in Cagliari eight first-round matches are scheduled and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Gilles Simon vs Stefano Travaglia. But who will book their place in the round of 16 in Sardinia?
ATP Sardinia Open Day Two Predictions
Joao Sousa vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Head-to-head: Sousa 1-1 Struff
Joao Sousa is currently ranked 107th in the world, which is surely under par for a player with the talent he possesses. But the rankings do not lie. A string of bad losses have put him in this relatively lowly position and, despite a narrow win over Christopher O’Connell in the first round at the ATP Miami Open, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will turn things around this year. Jan-Lennard Struff is still searching for a maiden title on the ATP Tour, but the world #41 has built a solid career and is generally at home on the clay. Expect the German, who enters this match in slightly better form, to progress.
Prediction: Struff in 3
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Federico Coria vs John Millman
Head-to-head: first meeting
John Millman’s 2021 probably hasn’t quite been what he would’ve expected. He has lost his last five matches and has picked up just one win – against world #466 Michail Pervolarakis – so far this season. To add to his problems, clay is the Australian’s worst surface, something Federico Coria can surely exploit. The Argentine turned professional quite some time ago, but he hasn’t played a great deal of tour-level tennis. Still, last year was something of a breakthrough campaign for him. Millman will play consistent tennis, but Coria should be the one dictating more often than not. Expect him to win this clash.
Prediction: Coria in 3
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Lorenzo Musetti vs Dennis Novak
Head-to-head: first meeting
Lorenzo Musetti has a real chance to go deep at the ATP Sardinia Open. The young, hard-hitting Italian has improved in leaps and bounds so far this year, reaching the semifinals at the ATP 500 Acapulco Open and the third round in Miami. He will certainly be one to watch this week as a result. Dennis Novak is a good clay-courter and should not be underestimated, but it is tough to see him either outhitting Musetti or withstanding the teenager’s power. Expect Musetti to advance without too many problems.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
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Jozef Kovalik vs Sumit Nagal
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sumit Nagal takes on fellow qualifier Jozef Kovalik in this intriguing first-round clash. The Indian, not necessarily known for his clay-court prowess, played some inspired tennis in Buenos Aires at the Argentina Open a month ago where he reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier. He will look to continue that form here. The Slovakian Kovalik, meanwhile, is close to Nagal in the rankings, but struggled in the qualifying whereas it was smooth sailing for the Indian. Expect Nagal to fight his way through this one and into the second round.
Prediction: Nagal in 3
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