After taking out Jack Sock in a third-set tie-breaker on Wednesday, Rafael Nadal will contest another match at the ATP Citi Open in Washington against the very powerful Lloyd Harris. Who do you think will prevail? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
ATP Washington Day 4 Predictions
Denis Kudla vs Brandon Nakashima
Head-to-head: First meeting
Looks like making an impact in his favorite grass-court season has had a very positive influence on Denis Kudla, who’s now playing a lot better than at the beginning of the season. But that shouldn’t be enough for the absolute powerhouse that Brandon Nakashima is at the moment. The youngster finished runner-up at both Los Cabos and Atlanta and kept cruising against Dan Evans and Alexei Popyrin here.
Prediction: Nakashima in 2
Ricardas Berankis vs Steve Johnson
Head-to-head: Berankis 2-0
Ricardas Berankis came to Washington on a four-match losing streak, but got through the first two rounds without losing a set. It’s a tough call as Steve Johnson has definitely upped his game recently. The American lost the past two matches against his opponent though but after a confidence-building win like the one over Alex de Minaur, he shouldn’t let this get into his head. He usually performs quite well on home soil too.
Prediction: Johnson in 3
Reilly Opelka vs John Millman
Head-to-head: Millman 2-0
John Millman leads the head-to-head, including a thriller at Queen’s Club earlier in the season. It should come down to the brink again, especially with Reilly Opelka’s style making most of his matches about winning the crucial points. The American should have a better chance to do it on a more favorable surface for him, as he’ll have an easier time setting up his big groundstrokes after the serve here.
Prediction: Opelka in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Lloyd Harris
Head-to-head: First meeting
Rafael Nadal looked vulnerable in his first match back after the foot injury, but once he really had to dig deep, he played a clinical tie-break to take out Jack Sock. Most of Lloyd Harris’s hard-court efforts were great this season, but the South African has definitely slowed down in recent months. Even if Harris redlines his game for two sets, Nadal’s superiority under pressure should still see him through.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
