Day 1 of the ATP Queen’s Club Championships saw third seed Jannik Sinner bow out in straight sets, with some thrilling tennis across the day. The top two seeds Matteo Berrettini and Denis Shapovalov kick off their campaigns on day 2, and will be hoping to put in a good run before Wimbledon. As always, we will be making our predictions on who will be heading into the second round. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
ATP Queen’s Club Championships Day 2 Predictions
Matteo Berrettini vs Stefano Travaglia
Head-to-head: Berrettini 1 – 0 Travaglia
Matteo Berrettini goes in this week as the top seed. The Italian arrives in London after a great showing at the French Open where he pushed Novak Djokovic close in the quarterfinals. Berrettini has played some of his career best tennis on grass, and is looking to be a player who will be a real force on the surface in the near future. He’s equipped with an enormous serve and hits with immense power off both wings, and his short backswing allows him to be a real weapon on grass.
These two have played only once officially on the ATP Tour, which Berrettini won, though Travaglia has beaten Berrettini three times in Futures events. They have only ever played on clay, so their past matches aren’t much of an indication as to how this match will go. Berrettini has showed more promise and form on grass than his fellow countryman, and he should be able to win this one fairly comfortably.
Prediction: Berrettini in 2
Fabio Fognini vs Yen-hsun Lu
Head-to-head: Fognini 2 – 1 Lu
A meeting between two long standing members of the tour. They’ve played on three occasions and Fognini leads their head-to-head, but they haven’t played each other since 2014. Fognini is still an electrifying player that can pull off absurdly good shots with ease, and he will go into this as the favourite. The eighth seed has the game to beat anyone, but often he gets caught lacking by players he should beat.
Yen-hsun Lu has been around the top of the men’s game for some time now and is still a nifty player even at 37 years of age. He’s got a great baswline game and can frustrate his opponents brilliantly, but he’s up against it here. It should be a very interesting affair, as Fognini’s power and comfort at the back of the court should be enough, but Lu’s defense may cause some problems. Despite this, Fognini should still be strong enough to win the match without dropping a set.
Prediction: Fognini in 2
Denis Shapovalov vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Denis Shapovalov enters this week as the second seed, and he’s been an impressive grass court player throughout his young career. As a former junior Wimbledon champion, he should be one of the rising stars that becomes a force on this surface. The young Canadian was unable to make it beyond the quarterfinals in Stuttgart last week, though he was up against the eventual champion Marin Cilic. He will be hoping to make a good run here leading up to Wimbledon.
Aleksandar Vukic hasn’t played in an ATP match or main draw encounter since the Australian Open, so this is a monumental task for him. Shapovalov has stunning groundstrokes as well as a dangerous serve, and it will be very tough for Vukic to combat this. The young Aussie will make him work for it, but the Canadian should take this in straight sets.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 2
Dan Evans vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: First meeting
Another fascinating match-up here. Dan Evans has played some beautiful tennis this year, and had his best clay season to date. What’s even better for him is that his game suits the grass far more, and he’s in with a great chance of making a really good run here. Evans would’ve been disappointed to lose to Denis Kudla last week in Nottingham and has a point to prove this week. However, he’s been drawn against an excellent opponent, and this won’t come easily.
Alexei Popyrin continues to impress as his exciting career develops. He is showing no fear against anyone and will be a mainstay in the top 50 in no time. He will cause some issues for Evans with his excellent all-court game and may well take a set, though Evans should be strong enough to take this one. Expect an interesting affair with lots of intense rallies, with Evans coming through with the win.
Prediction: Evans in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
