Tuesday at the 2022 ATP Estoril Open will feature all the remaining first-round matches. That includes Dominic Thiem trying to break his six-match losing streak. On the other side of the net will be the 2021 Challenger juggernaut Benjamin Bonzi, who’s managed to find his footing at the higher level of competition already. Who do you think will prevail? We at LWOT have all the previews and predictions for Day 2 in Estoril. We have four in this article, and four in a separate article.
ATP Estoril Day 2 Predictions
Lloyd Harris vs Carlos Taberner
Head-to-head: First meeting
Even though Carlos Taberner lost quite easily to Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the qualifying, he should still be considered the favorite in this matchup. Lloyd Harris rarely plays well on clay courts and while he had a solid run at Barcelona, he had to retire 0-6 to Alex de Minaur in the third round. Regardless of his fitness being under a question mark, Taberner’s consistency and the ability to counter-punch should prove very important here.
Prediction: Taberner in 2
Joao Sousa vs Sebastian Baez
Head-to-head: First meeting
Joao Sousa has looked more competitive on faster surfaces recently, but the 2018 champion definitely shouldn’t be overlooked here. Especially playing at home, he remains a very dangerous opponent. Sebastian Baez made the finals at Santiago this year, but the talented Argentinian has had a lot of ups and downs too. With neither in particularly good form right now, Sousa might feed off the energy of the crowd to find his way to a great win here. Baez can dictate rallies with his forehand but he will probably leave most of the duty of leading the points to the Portuguese.
Prediction: Sousa in 3
Pablo Cuevas vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Head-to-head: Cuevas 2-0
The 2-0 lead for Pablo Cuevas will have very little bearing on their match on Tuesday, given that the most recent of these clashes happened seven years ago. The Uruguayan is in the twilight of his career, but has actually started performing quite well these past few weeks. In the qualifying, he dispatched Pedro Araujo and Liam Broady. Roberto Carballes Baena’s fitness and the ability to survive extended rallies still give him the edge, but it’s not quite as straightforward as it would have been when Cuevas was out of form.
Prediction: Carballes Baena in 3
Dominic Thiem vs Benjamin Bonzi
Head-t0-head: First meeting
Dominic Thiem is on a six-match losing streak now, but the difference between his match at the Marbella Challenger (lost to Pedro Cachin) and the one at Belgrade (lost to John Millman) was already night and day. The Austrian will be shaking off the rust with every appearance and that means bad news for Benjamin Bonzi. While the Frenchman is an all-surface player, on the dirt he cannot really benefit from his serve and his forehand doesn’t always get enough depth. If Thiem is indeed improving, this is a good matchup for him.
Prediction: Thiem in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
