Day 3 at the 2022 ATP Delray Beach Open kicks off second round action with all eight players from the top half of the draw taking the court. Temperatures have been bearable so far, but the wind has been whipping up to 30 MPH across the court. That is certainly something to watch for during the Wednesday slate. Four Americans are in action on their home soil on Day 3, including #5 seed Sebastian Korda. Korda takes on veteran Italian Andreas Seppi. But who will advance?
ATP Delray Beach Day 4 Predictions
Steve Johnson vs Stefan Kozlov
Head-to-head: Kozlov 2-1
An all American clash kicks off day four in Delray Beach featuring Steve Johnson and Stefan Kozlov. Both Johnson and Kozlov spent over two hours on court to win their three-set, first round matches. Kozlov is a former junior world number one, but injuries have derailed his early tour-level career. Veteran Steve Johnson has been playing some solid tennis thus far in 2022 with a 6-4 record. I think Johnson should be able to overpower his countryman and handle Kozlov with ease.
Prediction: Johnson in 2
Tommy Paul vs Denis Istomin
Head-to-head: Paul 1-0
Tommy Paul received a wild card into the Delray Beach Open which will be his first competitive match since the Australian Open. As a top four seed, Paul advanced to Round 2 via a bye. His opponent, Denis Istomin, bested Sam Querrey in straight sets in Round 1. Advancing through qualifiers, Istomin has won three matches in the last five days. There is a good chance that it may take Paul a few games to get in a rhythm, but once he does, he should roll. Paul previously defeated Istomin 6-3, 6-0 in 2020.
Prediction: Paul in 2
Cameron Norrie vs Oscar Otte
Head-to-head: First meeting
#1 seed Cameron Norrie caps off Day 3 of the ATP Delray Beach Open with a night match against German Oscar Otte. Norrie reached the quarterfinals in last week’s ATP 500 in Rotterdam before being bounced in a tight two-setter against eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime. His first round bye in Delray allowed him to get situated in the States after his flight over the Atlantic. Oscar Otte will look to spoil Norrie’s stateside welcome. Otte played some solid tennis in his 7-6 6-3 Round 1 win over Yoshihito Nishioka. I think the lanky Otte will give Norrie problems, especially early. I do, however, expect the Brit to come into form and find himself in the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
Andreas Seppi vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-head: Korda 2-0
Sebastian Korda’s first match since his third round Australian Open exit was a Tuesday afternoon 6-4, 6-1 win over Thanasi Kokkinakis. It took the 21-year-old American a few games to warm up, but he looked locked in during the second set. 37-year-old Italian Andreas Seppi is his opponent. Seppi bested Peter Gojowczyk in straight sets to start his week. Korda holds the 2-0 head-to-head advantage over Seppi with both matches coming on clay. Korda is a much better hardcourt player, and should use his second set momentum from his Round 1 match to cruise by Seppi.
Prediction: Korda in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
