The switch from clay court to grass courts has been exciting, and day 2 action in Halle features German players taking center stage with Alexander Zverev battling his compatriot Dominik Koepfer, along with Yannick Hanfmann and Philipp Kohlschreiber on the match card. We also have predictions for matches featuring Daniil Medvedev vs Jan-Lennard Struff and Karen Khachanov vs Andrey Rublev.
Jurij Rodionov vs Philipp Kohlschreiber
Rodionov should present trouble for Kohlschreiber. Kohlschreiber has a good historical grass court record, winning almost 60% of his matches on the surface, but he’s well over 100 spots away from his career high ranking and in the twilight of his professional career. A pair of match wins at Roland Garros, his best results of the season, should be a confidence booster though. Rodionov is at a career high ranking after reaching the semis of Stuttgart on grass. At his age I’m not sure how well he will transition to the surface, but Kohlschreiber can still probably grit out a win in a match like this. Kohlschreiber in 3
Felix Auger Aliassime vs Hubert Hurkacz
It’s their second meeting (Auger-Aliassime won the first), Auger Aliassime is 17-13 on the season after reaching the Stuttgart final where he was again denied his first ATP title. Hurkacz has been in terrible form since winning Miami. That career best result failed to propel his season to new heights and now he’s desperate to find some winning form ahead of Wimbledon. Presuming FAA isn’t fatigued, he should be the better player in terms of form and on the surface right now. Auger Aliassime in 2
Arthur Rinderknech vs Yannick Hanfmann
The qualifier Rinderknech is experiencing a career best season, and his wins at the challenger tour are starting to translate to the ATP level. He qualified for Halle and also reached the quarters in Lyon recently (over 20 wins already this season). Hanfmann is a lucky loser, and he has a relatively pedestrian 7-13 record on the season. Other than playing at home, not a lot indicates that Hanfmann would be in better shape to win this than his opponent. Rinderknech in 2
Alexander Zverev vs Dominik Koepfer
Koepfer has had a good season, his 11 wins are the most at the tour level ever in his career with plenty of tournaments left to go. Zverev defeated Koepfer in straight sets earlier this year in Acapulco though and the Roland Garros semifinalist already has accomplished enough on grass to make him not just a favorite for this match, but a contender for this title on home soil. He should get off to a good start if he’s fit. Zverev in 2
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