Day 2 at the ATP Atlanta Open will showcase five American players in the four matches predicted in this article. There is plenty of young talent on hand with up-and-comers Emil Ruusuvuori, Mackenzie McDonald, and J.J. Wolf in action alongside established American star Taylor Fritz. Veteran John Isner will once again play a tournament he has historically done well at, and Jack Sock will be hoping to try and get back to the player he was when he reached the Top 10 just a few short years ago. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
ATP Atlanta Open Day 2 Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs Evgeny Donskoy
Fritz is coming off a semifinal run in Los Cabos, his second ATP semi of the year. Donskoy seems to be in the twilight of his career, though he played well in qualifying to reach the main draw. Donskoy will have to try and hit through Fritz to have a chance at winning, but the American’s polished game should be too much for Donskoy to handle and he will win comfortably.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Mackenzie McDonald vs Emil Ruusuvuori
This will be a rematch between the two young players of this year’s French Open first round, won by McDonald in four sets. McDonald had a solid summer, winning many matches and qualifying for both Wimbledon and the French Open, and he looks to continue his form on the hard court surface he grew up on. Ruusuvuori is an exciting young talent, but he has not been able to win as many matches as he would have hoped. Ruusuvuori has the game to beat McDonald if he is on, but McDonald has a bit more experience and will capitalize on the big points and win a close one.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
Jack Sock vs Ricards Berankis
Sock seems to finally have found some semblance of his old game, winning a decent amount of matches this year and capturing a Challenger Tour title in Little Rock. Berankis has been up and down of late but provides a pretty favorable matchup for Sock. If Sock plays well, Berankis will struggle to defend against his strong forehand. Berankis does not have enough tools to beat an in-form Sock, but he could reasonably pull an upset if Sock makes too many errors. Sock should be able to play well enough to top Berankis.
Prediction: Sock in 2
John Isner vs J.J. Wolf
After dealing with injuries, Wolf is playing just his second match of 2021. Unfortunately he drew Isner, who is never an easy matchup for any player. Wolf will have to hold serve and hope to win tiebreaks because after such a long layoff, breaking Isner’s massive serve will be a big challenge. Isner should be able to capitalize on mistakes on the young American’s serve and take the match.
Prediction: Isner in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
