One week before the US Open at New York, and the ATP Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati will be the last opportunity for players to fine tune their game before the last Major of the year. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Jannik Sinner vs Federico Delbonis and Andy Murray vs Richard Gasquet. Let’s have a look who will come through and who will fall?
ATP Cincinnati Day 2 Predictions
Dan Evans vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: First meeting
Dan Evans has not won a match since contracting Covid before the Olympics. The 31-year-old Brit has clearly struggled to deal with the post-Covid symptoms the past few weeks and will have a tough opening match against consistent Diego Schwartzman. Expect a better performance from Evans as he physically gets better, but Schwartzman should win this match as the Argentine is probably more fit and ready for this match.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 2
Kevin Anderson vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: 1-1 tied
Anderson played some decent tennis in the qualifying rounds here in Cincinnati, but will face a tough match against the Olympic Silver Medallist Karen Khachanov. Their most recent meeting was earlier this year in Adelaide on hard courts in which the Russian won convincingly 6-3 7-6. Expect a similar scoreline here as Khachanov is playing confidently, and Anderson is still not at his best after coming back from a long-term injury.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is surprisingly their first meeting on tour, considering both are veterans on the circuit. A tough match to predict as both players can be so up and down when it comes to form. A bit of a coin toss-but Fognini probably has the slight upper edge considering he has been slightly a bit more consistent than Basilashvili throughout the year. But expect a good battle and match up between the pair.
Prediction: Fognini in 2
Filip Krajinovic vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-head: First meeting
Like Evans, de Minaur has been struggling with the post-Covid after effects. The young Australian has yet to win a match after capturing his fifth career title in Eastbourne just before Wimbledon and will be looking to bounce back quickly to regain his confidence before the US Open. It will be a close match, but de Minaur should edge through… just.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
