Day 2 of ATP action in Marrakech, Morocco is serving up some exciting match-ups with British No. 2 Daniel Evans kicking off his clay season here while in-form Challenger Tour veteran Hugo Dellien will be looking to continue his good run on the main tour. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. We look at the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. Who do you think is going to win?
ATP Marrakech Day 2 Predictions
Botic Van De Zandschulp vs Hugo Dellien
Head-to-head: Dellien 2-0 Van De Zandschulp
A mediocre season so far for Van De Zandschulp has been a success as he has established himself as a main tour regular. Considering he was largely propelled by his big US Open run, this is good news for the Dutchman’s career going forward. His 2022 highlights are quarterfinals at a Melbourne 250 and third-round runs in Indian Wells and at the Australian Open. Dellien had a very strong March on the Challenger Tour winning the title in Santiago and making the final Concepcion. The Bolivian also won their previous two meetings and on clay, he is the favorite for me in this match-up.
Prediction: Dellien in 3
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: Ramos-Vinolas 1-0 Musetti
Ramos-Vinolas had a great golden swing this year, including his fourth ATP title in Cordoba and a semifinal in Santiago. The Spanish veteran’s clay record is 8-3 so he comes into Marrakech in very fine form. Musetti hasn’t had a great season so far, going 6-8 with a win over Hurbert Hurkacz and not much else. The Italian has a good record on clay in his young career though he hasn’t won on the surface since his Roland Garros retirement against Djokovic which seemed to shift his momentum. Ramos-Vinolas won their only previous meeting last autumn at Indian Wells, allowing the youngster only four games. I expect the Spaniard to be the winner here once again.
Prediction: Ramos-Vinolas in 2
Jiri Vesely vs Malek Jaziri
Head-to-head: Vesely 2-1 Jaziri
A solid year from Vesely so far, reaching the final of Dubai, unseating Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1. Most recently the Czech proved he still has some clay prowess after a semifinal run at the Marbella Challenger, earning solid wins over Roberto Carballes Baena and Norbert Gombos. At 38 years old, Jaziri does not seem to have much left in the tank, not having a winning season since 2018 and mostly taking first-round losses this year. The Tunisian did put together a quarterfinal run at the Lille Challenger, ending the career of Yannick Maden and taking out Viktor Durasovic. Vesely is a favorite without a doubt, Jaziri winning here would be a huge upset.
Prediction: Vesely in 2
Daniel Evans vs Pablo Andujar
Head-to-head: first meeting
Outside of his wild semifinal run at Monte Carlo last year that included a win over Djokovic, Dan Evans does not particularly enjoy clay. The 31-year-old had a rocket of a start to the season, with a 6-2 record in Australia and a five-match win streak to start the year. Since then, the wins have dried up for Evans, winning only one of his last four matches. Facing him is a clay-court specialist and a man who has enjoyed more success in Morocco than anywhere else, Pablo Andujar. The 36-year-old has won three of his four ATP titles in Morocco, winning Casablanca in 2011 and 2012 and Marrakech in 2018. The Spaniard also reached the final here in 2019. Andujar is coming off a semifinal at the Marbella Challenger, a perfect warm-up for what has to be one of his favorite events on tour.
Prediction: Andujar in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
