Day 1 of main draw action at the ATP Viking International in Eastbourne begins on Monday. 28 men will be looking to earn some prize money, ranking points, and much-needed grass-court experience before Wimbledon. As always, we’ll predict all of the matches for you. We split Monday’s six matches between this article and one other. Who do you think will advance?
ATP Eastbourne Day 1 Predictions
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Ruusuvuori was rising impressively until the pandemic break stopped him. Since the tour resumed, he hasn’t quite been the same. On the other hand, Ramos has been poor on grass (and that’s putting it nicely) throughout his pretty solid career.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 2
Andreas Seppi vs Yoshihito Nishioka
This should be quite an entertaining battle between two very different players. Nishioka is solid from the baseline yet aggressive. As long as he’s not having an off day, grass courts will always allow him to play the way he wants. Seppi, meanwhile, is a long-time veteran who has added extreme versatility to his game over the years. Seppi has always had solid results on the grass, while Nishioka has not yet had any such luck. Still, it should be a very enjoyable match.
Prediction: Seppi in 3
Mikael Ymer vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Mikael Ymer has been playing so well recently. His rapid rise through the rankings over the recent clay court season was as impressive as it was surprising. The Swede just broke into the Top 100, and his game is much more naturally suited to grass. He came through qualifying here, including an impressive win over Norbert Gombos. Davidovich Fokina is a better player overall, and I’d expect him to win on any other surface. On grass, though? I like Ymer.
Prediction: Ymer in 3
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