The ATP Winston-Salem is the last tournament before the US Open kicks off. Due to the large amount of entries, the draw consists of 48 entrants, which is very rare for an ATP 250. Also, the level of competition is very high and the winner over here will get a big boost in the preparation to the US open. We also predict the rest of the ATP Winston-Salem Open Day 1 matches in a separate article.
ATP Winston-Salem Open Day 1 Predictions
Arthur Rinderknech vs Gilles Simon
Head-to-head: first meeting
Gilles Simon was one of the few players who carved a niche for themselves in an era dominated by the big three. He also belongs to an elite club of players who managed to challenge Federer and Nadal in their prime. However, he is not at all on the top of his game and has shown horrible results of late. From the ATP Cagliari in April to the San Marino Challenger earlier this month, Simon has one win and a staggering 14 losses. This record hardly supports his cause.
Arthur Rinderknech played his latest hard court match in March, and hasn’t played one on any surface since the start of August. Rinderknech has a big serve, suited for fast courts. This clash of Frenchmen will be a close one, as Simon is not very strong on hard courts, but Rinderknech has lfew matches under his belt in the warm-up to this match. Still, the younger one is the firm favorite due to his exploits so far.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 2
Thiago Monteiro vs James Duckworth
Head-to-head: first meeting
James Duckworth is coming off a superb Round of 16 performance at the Toronto Masters. There, he came through the qualifying rounds comfortably to defeat Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner, before falling to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev. Duckworth is performing surprisingly well on hard courts, and is expected to continue his form.
Thiago Monteiro, on the other hand is having a poor run since losing to Steve Johnson at the French Open. On hard courts, his last win came against Andrej Martin at the Australian Open. After that, he has played only three matches on hard courts, losing all three. Duckworth should secure this win easily.
Prediction: Duckworth in 2
Radu Albot vs Soonwoo Kwon
Head-to-head: first meeting
Radu Albot will play his first tournament of the year-end hardcourt swing here at the Winston-Salem ATP. He has previously done well in considerably tough draws, and is no rookie. However, he will find it hard to adapt to the fast courts, and might be a bit shaky a the start. It will be interesting to see how he performs.
Soonwoo Kwon is no longer the player who used to grind in Challengers. It can be said that he has finally graduated to the top tier, and isn’t performing badly at all. Though he is not as very promising on hardcourts as yet, kwon has enough firepower to beat Albot. Kwon should prevail in a tough match.
Prediction: Kwon in 3
Tennys Sandgren vs Marco Cecchinato
Head-to-head: Sandgren 1-0 Cecchinato
Tennys Sandgren is going through a rough patch, to say the least. He participated in just two tournaments in the year-end hardcourt swing, and won two matches in all. At the Citi Open, Sandgren defeated James Duckworth in the first round, in a tough three setter. Though he had to retire in the next round, he came back to play in the qualification draw of the Cincinnati Masters, to defeat Jeremy Chardy in three sets. These results show that, though, Sandgren has shown unimpressive results, the fight is always present.
Marco Cecchinato, on the other hand, is coming into the match with a confidence boosting semifinal performance. However, we cannot ignore that it was a Challenger event, and the level of competition was not up to par. Furthermore, he was the first seed in the draw, and was expected to lift the title, which he couldn’t do. Sandgren and Cecchinato have played one match before, which Sandgren won in straight sets. Two years down the line, Sandgren is definitely not the player he used to be, and Cecchinato has matured a lot as a player. Still, on the fast courts at Winston-Salem, Sandgren has the upper hand due to his superior serve.
Prediction: Sandgren in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
