Wednesday promises to produce another exciting day of ATP 500 tennis in Rotterdam. Felix Auger-Aliassime will be looking to continue his excellent start to the 2022 season, as he takes on Egor Gerasimov. Elsewhere, Lloyd Harris will look to put the disappointment of the Australian Open behind him, as he faces a tough opening round opponent in Illya Ivashka. I predict four of Wednesday’s matches, with the remaining four in a separate article.
ATP Rotterdam Day 3 Predictions
Lloyd Harris vs Ilya Ivashka
Head to Head: First Meeting
This is a match between two players who enjoyed the best seasons of their careers in 2021. Notable results for Lloyd Harris include reaching the final of the ATP 500 event in Dubai, where he impressively defeated Stan Wawrinka and Denis Shapovalov. The South African also made is first grand slam quarterfinal at the US Open. So far this season, Harris has only played one match, his shock opening round defeat to Aleksandar Vukic at the Australian Open. The South African has had time to regroup since then. I am expecting him to get his season back on track this week.
Ilya Ivashka won his first ATP title in 2021, at the ATP 250 in Winston-Salem. The Belorussian also performed well at grand slam level, reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon, and the third round of the US Open. Ivashka played his first match of the season last week in Montpellier, where he lost in the opening round to Mackenzie McDonald.
I think this will be a tight three set match, and both players are evenly matched. However, I think Harris will have the slight edge and I think he will record a tight three set win.
Prediction: Harris in 3
Marton Fucscovics vs Filip Krajinovic
Head to Head: 1-0 Krajinovic
Marton Fucscovics reached the final in Rotterdam last season, losing to Andrey Rublev. The Hungarian enjoyed the best season of his career in 2021, reaching his first grand slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic. So far this season, Fucscovics has struggled to produce his best tennis, losing in the opening round of the Australian Open. The Hungarian’s only victory of the season so far came at the second ATP 250 event in Adelaide, where he defeated Botic Van De Zandschulp, before losing to Corentin Moutet in the second round. Despite being inconsistent, Fucscovics can be a dangerous player if he is on form. He has the firepower to trouble any player on the tour.
Filip Krajinovic had the best result of his career so far at the ATP 500 level. Last year in Hamburg, the Serb defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas on route to the final, where he was defeated by Pablo Carreno Busta. Krajinovic has reached the final of an ATP 250, ATP 500, and ATP Masters 1000, but he is yet to win a title. So far in 2022, Krajinovic has been in decent form, reaching the semifinals of Montpellier last week, where he lost to eventual champion Alexander Bublik. The Serb also won two matches at the ATP Cup in January.
I think this promises to be a tight three set match and it is a difficult one to call. However, due to the differing form of both players, I think Krajinovic will get the win in three sets.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 3
Karen Khachanov vs Cameron Norrie
Head to Head: 2-2
Cameron Norrie recorded his first tour win of the season in the opening round against Ugo Humbert. The Brit’s movement looked to be back to his best, and Norrie clearly benefited from the two week break after being knocked out in the opening round of the Australian Open. After comfortably winning the opening set against the Frenchman, Norrie was a break down in the second, but weathered the storm and regrouped well to win the match in straight sets.
Karen Khachanov was involved in a thrilling match with Alexei Popyrin in the opening round. The Russian saved match point to come through in a final set tiebreak. Despite winning 80% of his first serve points, the Russian only recorded a first serve percentage of 55%. This number will have to be significantly higher if he is to beat Norrie, who is one of the best returners on tour.
I think this will be a close three set match. However, I think Norrie is the more consistent of the two players, and he has more variety in his game. I think he will win in three sets.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Egor Gerasimov
Head to Head: 3-0 Auger Aliassime
Felix Auger-Aliassime has enjoyed a great start to the 2022 season. The Canadian was an integral part of Canada’s Davis Cup winning team. The Canadian recorded victories over Cameron Norrie, Alexander Zverev, and Roberto Bautista Agut. At the Australian Open, Auger-Aliassime reached the quarterfinals, and pushed Danill Medvedev to five sets in that match, playing some of the best tennis of his career. It is surely only a matter of time before the Canadian wins his first ATP Title, and he is one of the strong contenders this week.
Egor Gerasimov came through qualifying to reach the main draw, recording victories over Daniel Masur and Phillipp Kohlschreiber. Gerasimov’s best result of the season so far, came at the first ATP 250 event in Adelaide, where he defeated Marton Fucscovics and Gianluca Mager in a run to the quarterfinals. The Belorussian has not won a match since the first week of the season, but he can be a dangerous opponent indoors.
Auger-Aliassime has won their three previous encounters, and with the way the Canadian is playing at the moment, I think he will record a straight sets win.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
