Poland will battle Argentina for the top spot in Group D on Day 5 at the 2022 ATP Cup. Meanwhile, Chile and Norway are both eliminated but can still fight for ranking points. Who do you think will come out on top?
ATP Cup Day 5 Predictions
Viktor Durasovic vs Alejandro Tabilo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Alejandro Tabilo played two great matches at the ATP Cup so far and yet has nothing to show for it. The Chilean led by a break in both sets against Pablo Carreno Busta, before losing to Filip Krajinovic in a deciding set tie-break. The 24-year-old should be able to score a win against Norway’s Viktor Durasovic now. Tabilo’s big, lefty game is working really well on hard courts now and this is an opportunity that he needs to capitalize on.
Prediction: Tabilo in 2
Casper Ruud vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: Garin 2-0
Cristian Garin owns two clay-court wins over Casper Ruud back from 2019, but it’s quite clear who’s the better hard-court player right now. The Norwegian gets a lot of free points from his serve plus one forehand play on this surface, which is a consistent way to win points that Garin lacks. Both players have lost to Roberto Bautista Agut so far, but the Chilean took just three games, while Ruud made it very competitive.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Kamil Majchrzak vs Federico Delbonis
Head-to-head: First meeting
The Poles have enjoyed a really comfortable path so far with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nikoloz Basilashvili opting not to play singles in the ties against them. The rise in the level of competition will be steep though. Kamil Majchrzak has never beaten a top 50 player before, yet this seems like the perfect occasion for the Pole to do so. Federico Delbonis went zero for ten in hard-court matches last year and while he’s also managed to defeat Georgia and Greece’s number two players, he’ll also need to take it up a notch to beat Majchrzak.
Prediction: Majchrzak in 3
Hubert Hurkacz vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: 1-1
Two matches in, we still know little about Hubert Hurkacz’s form. The Pole defeated Aristothelis Thanos and Aleksandre Metreveli, surprisingly dropping a set against the latter. Diego Schwartzman got to play both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nikoloz Basilashvili, defeating both with a particularly impressive performance against the Greek, where he was able to fend off his attacks extremely well. The two played each other at the ATP Cup two years ago with Hurkacz triumphing in three sets. Schwartzman will be ready to compete at the highest level, while it might take the Pole a while to settle down and start playing his best tennis against a higher-quality opponent.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
