The ATP Citi Open in Washington continues on Day 2 with some mouth-watering encounters coming our way. Nick Kyrgios will be getting his campaign underway, as he hopes to put it together another great run at the tournament he won so brilliantly in 2019. We will be making our predictions on who will be moving into the next round on what looks to be a thrilling day. We also have predictions for matches featuring Nick Kyrgios and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
ATP Washington Day 2 Predictions
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Prajnesh Gunneswaran
Head-to-head: First meeting
Gunneswaran did well to come through qualifying, but this is likely where the winning ends. Ruusuvuori is having by the best year of his young career and is starting to look like a real force on the tour. His great run in Atlanta last week saw him take out top players such as Benoit Paire and Cameron Norrie before losing to Nakashima in the semifinals.
The rising star from Finland is impressing many with his solid and powerful bassline game, and while Gunneswaran is a very solid player, this will be too much for the qualifier to handle.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 2
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Ricardas Berankis
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kecmanovic is the 15th seed this week, so it’s a good chance for the youngster to have a decent run here. He often plays his best tennis on the American hard courts, such as when he defeated Alex Zverev in Cincinnati 2019. Though he only made the second round of the Olympics, he took quarterfinalist Ugo Humbert to three very close sets, so his form seems pretty good right now.
Berankis came through his first round well enough, but his form is not much to boast about lately. Kecmanovic is the more solid of the two and will definitely take the game to Berankis, and it’s hard to see the Latvian doing much to cause the Serb any real trouble.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 2
Tennys Sandgren vs James Duckworth
Head-to-head: First meeting
This should be an interesting match. Sandgren is a player who can randomly turn up and play like a world beater, as he’s done on multiple occasions in Grand Slams. However, this pretty much never happens in tournaments such as this. The American has a powerful game but it’s always tough to know which version of him will turn up.
Duckworth is a really solid player and a great fighter. He loves to go after the ball hard but also mixes it up with some intelligent tennis. Sandgren is the more powerful of the two and this may well earn the American a set, but Duckworth’s all round game as well as his better mental game could well see him win this one.
Prediction: Duckworth in 3
Nick Kyrgios vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-head: First meeting
This will be a fascinating watch. Kyrgios will undoubtedly be the favorite but he’ll have to be weary. McDonald may not have yet reached the heights many are expecting from him, but he’s still a great player. When he’s on form his forehand can be a serious weapon against anyone, and Kyrgios will be looking to keep the points short to avoid it.
Despite Kyrgios’ lack of court time this year, it’s still to be expected that he’ll play well. His serve will always be incredible and he’s got every shot you can think of in his locker. He was beaten soundly by Norrie last week so he may still have some rust to shake off, so McDonald is definitely in with a chance of winning a set. Kyrgios’ brilliance should be enough to win the match, but it’ll be an interesting battle.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
