One of the most interesting clashes of day 2 of the 2021 St Petersburg Open will feature Federico Delbonis and Pablo Andujar. We’ve gotten used to that matchup on clay (eight times in the past twelve years), but for the first time, they’ll face each other on a different surface. Who do you think will advance?
ATP St Petersburg Day 2 Predictions
Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez
Head-to-head: Paul 2-1
Tommy Paul won their two meetings earlier in the season, although both came on clay courts. Last week it was Marin Cilic who stopped both of them in straight sets in Moscow, eventually going on to reach the final. Paul was the one to hand the Croat a much tougher challenge, winning 11 games to Martinez’s three. The indoor conditions should suit the American here as he’s a player who can more often make use of the speed of the surface. His rival’s forehand can be a dangerous weapon on hard courts when he’s in form, but it’s been some time since Martinez made a truly impressive run off-clay.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Egor Gerasimov vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-head: First meeting
Egor Gerasimov’s 2021 campaign had been rather subpar but the Belarusian is finally scoring some match wins, qualifying for both Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The 28-year-old is generally the better indoor player of the two, owing to him being comfortable hitting on the rise and possessing a potent serve. Mackenzie McDonald’s done a lot of progress this year, finally establishing himself as a tour-level competitor. The loss to Gilles Simon last week is pretty worrying (took five games) and signalizes a drop-off in his form that might allow Gerasimov to score the slight upset. The American looked amazing indoors earlier in the year (winning the Nur-Sultan Challenger), but there are some doubts as to whether he can bring this level now.
Prediction: Gerasimov in 3
John Millman vs Yshai Oliel
Head-to-head: First meeting
Yshai Oliel’s wild card for this event came a little of out the blue–while the Israeli enjoyed a lot of success at the 25K level this year, his Challenger runs weren’t exactly outstanding. Once a great junior (Australian Open runner-up, two Orange Bowl titles), the 21-year-old is making his ATP Tour debut, which might turn out to be a pretty stressful experience. The rival is far from ideal too. John Millman’s physicality and brutal consistency really help him break down an opponent’s game. In the long run, Oliel’s lefty game probably isn’t big enough to hit his way through the Aussie.
Prediction: Millman in 2
Federico Delbonis vs Pablo Andujar
Head-to-head: Andujar 6-2
This rivalry dates all the way back to 2009 but it will be their first clash off-clay. Who’s going to have a tougher time translating their game to a faster surface. Looks like in all likelihood it should be Federico Delbonis. Despite playing extremely well on clay this year, the Argentinian is yet to win a match off the dirt (0-9). He’s also coming to Saint Petersburg on an eight-match losing streak. Meanwhile, Andujar had a very decent week at the US Open. The Spaniard’s strokes are a lot more compact than his opponent’s, which should help him with the timing as he tries to rush the Delbonis forehand.
Prediction: Andujar in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
