Denis Kudla and Laslo Djere look for earth shaking upsets as they take on Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas respectively in their opening matches at the ATP Acapulco 500 level hard court tournament in Mexico. We have predictions for every day 2 match including Daniil Medvedev’s match with Benoit Paire.
John Millman vs Marcos Giron
Millman trails the h2h 1-2 but just beat Giron in Delray Beach where he made the semifinals. Millman is a streaky player and Giron was a semifinalist in Dallas the week prior to Delray, this is a somewhat even match, it’s hard to go against what just happened in Florida though. Millman in 3
Cameron Norrie vs Daniel Altmaier
Norrie won Delray Beach and reached the quarterfinals in Rotterdam, the Brit is firing well. Although Altmaier is an in-form qualifier who also had a quarterfinal in India to start the season, he looks outmatched. Norrie should serve his way to a comfortable opening match win against the less consistent German. Norrie in 2
Rafael Nadal vs Denis Kudla
Nadal is undefeated on the season winning both Adelaide and the Australian Open, he’s continuing to play on hard courts this year, with Acapulco next. Kudla is in this draw as a lucky loser and hasn’t done anything notable this season, the American battles hard, but Nadal looks to be the toast of the town and only a serious drop in form from Rafa would give Kudla even a puncher’s chance. Nadal in 2
J.J. Wolf vs Lorenzo Sonego
J.J. Wolf qualified for Acapulco, he’s yet to make a serious mark on the ATP Tour, Sonego generally prefers clay (semifinalist in Buenos Aires), but is at this hard court tournament this week. The Italian is beatable, but he is a steady competitor and I have yet to see Wolf apply the pressure needed to consistently win ATP main draw matches. Sonego should extend his streak of winning every opening round match this season. Sonego in 2
Laslo Djere vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas won their only meeting at a challenger, Djere hasn’t won a match since reaching the Adelaide quarterfinals to open the year. Although Tsitsipas was upset in the quarterfinals of Marseille, he opened the year with a semifinal in Melbourne and a final in Rotterdam. Even if he’s not exactly at his best, Tsitsipas is the clear favorite and should get past this early round match. Tsitsipas in 2
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