We are two days into the tournament, and plenty of action has taken place. With 3rd seeded Marin Cilic, and 4th seeded Frances Tiafoe joining the action on Day 3 at the ATP Adelaide Open, entertainment is guaranteed. Whom do you think will advance to the quarterfinals?
ATP Adelaide Day 3 Predictions
Laslo Djere vs Corentin Moutet
Head-to-head: Djere 1-0 Moutet
Laslo Djere had a mediocre hard court season last year to say the least. Before entering Adelaide, he was a five match consecutive losing streak. On that note, his straight-sets win over Roberto Carballes Baena is commendable. The Serb’s deep ground-strokes were unsettling for Carballes Baena. Also, Djere was highly efficient on the serve, facing no breakpoints as he banged a total of 14 aces in the match. Corentin Moutet outlasted qualifier Holger Rune in his first round match which lasted almost two hours. The Frenchman has displayed some high quality performances on hard courts as of late. Going by the rankings, one may see an easy win for Djere, but he will have to work for win here.
Prediction: Djere in 3
Mikael Ymer vs Soonwoo Kwon
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Soonwoo Kwon made short work of Yoshihito Nishioka in his first round match, picking up right from where he left off in 2022. Kwon served extremely well, and also broke his opponent five times in the match, to clinch a sweeping 6-1, 6-2 win. At times in the match, Kwon’s power was simply too much for his opponent. It is hard to not see him as the favorite for this one. Mikael Ymer showed great fight throughout his first round match against Benjamin Bonzi. Despite of his serve not clicking, Ymer managed to cling on to the match, and finally prevailed after an hour and 44 minutes. The wily baseliner is certainly a great player on hard courts, better so, on the Australian hard courts. But Kwon should be able to close this anyway, he is playing too well to be stopped in the second round.
Prediction: Kwon in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Head-to-head: Tiafoe 0-1 Kokkinakis
The 2021 season was arguably the best of his career for Frances Tiafoe. The first half of the season wasn’t very promising for him, but the way he turned it around in the second half is impressive. With the big serve and solid game, Tiafoe on his day can challenge the very best. He starts as the fourth seed here, and also one of the contenders for the title. Thanasi Kokkinakis put up a terrific display against John Millman, as he marched into the second round with ease. Kokkinakis served well, facing no breakpoints throughout the match, and broke Millman thrice. The Aussie is highly unpredictable and no one knows what he can bring up. However, expect Tiafoe to be too good for him in the end.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Thiago Monteiro vs Marin Cilic
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Marin Cilic starts as the 2nd seed at the Adelaide Open, also being the second oldest. The last year wasn’t anywhere up to par with what a prime Cilic would have had, but it was certainly better than the ones before. The start of the season, was all about not being able to convert starts for Cilic. However, he turned it around during the successive Russian 250 events, making the finals of both, and winning the St. Petersburg Open. The win saw him coming back into the top-30 after 2 years, and Cilic will not give up on the rich vein of form he has hit. Thiago Monteiro defeated qualifier Daniel Altmaier in his first round match. Monteiro at a high level in the first round. But that isn’t the level with which he can upset a high-flying Cilic on a hard court, not at all.
Prediction: Cilic in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
