The ATP Melbourne Summer Set 2022 continues on Day 2, and it promises to be an action packed day. There are eight Round of 32 matches scheduled. As ever, we at LWOT preview and predict all eight matches for you. We look at four in this article, and the other four in a separate article featuring Kevin Anderson vs Jaume Munar.
ATP Melbourne Summer Set Day 2 Predictions
Ricardas Berankis vs Marcos Giron
Head to head – First Meeting
Ricardas Berankis has done well to qualify for the main draw, but the Lithuanian still struggles to dominate service games and most of the players do. Berankis makes up for that slightly with his foot speed but Marcos Giron is a solid baseliner and his groundstrokes should prove to be too much for the Lithuanian to handle. Expect Giron to progress through to the Round of 16.
Prediction: Giron in 2
Henri Laaksonen vs Benoit Paire
Head to head – Laaksonen 2-0 Paire
This is bound to be an interesting one, especially because of the head to head. Henri Laaksonen lost in qualifying but makes his way to the main draw as a a lucky loser and he now takes on Benoit Paire, a player he’s beaten twice in two attempts. This suggests Paire’s game doesn’t match up too well against the Swiss which is understandable as Laaksonen is pretty clean striker of the ball which takes time away from Paire and his numerous variations. Expect another enthralling clash between the two with Laaksonen continuing the head to head trend.
Prediction: Laaksonen in 3
Alex Molcan vs Andreas Seppi
Head to head – First Meeting
It’s experience versus youth in this match. Andreas Seppi is 37 years old but still has the fire within to play qualifiers and try to get to the main draw. He takes on Alex Molcan who got a reprieve as Nick Kyrgios pulled out of the tournament. The Slovakian has more of a chance against Seppi but for this match, experience should trump youth as this match heads into a decider set.
Prediction: Seppi in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Stefano Travaglia
Head to head – First Meeting
It’ll be interesting to see how Alexei Popyrin plays in the next couple of years. The Aussie is just 22 years old and has an all round game to be a top notch player. It’s how he handles pressure mentally that will be critical. Stefano Travaglia should give Popyrin a good fight, but Popyrin has the superior ground strokes and serve to put up a strong opening performance.
Prediction: Popyrin in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
