Day two at the ATP Stuttgart Open, Germany welcomes back Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios to the tour. After skipping out on most of the clay-court season, the unseeded Murray and Kyrgios are looking to show their muscle on the grass. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Lorenzo Musetti vs Nikoloz Basilashvili. But who will advance?
ATP Stuttgart Day 2 Predictions
Marton Fucsovics vs Jurij Rodionov
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Marton Fucsovics has posted an indifferent record of 13-15 so far in 2022 and has yet to string together three straight wins. The Hungarian will look to change his fortunes during the grass-court swing after making a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals a season ago. His opponent, 23-year-old Jurij Rodionov, worked through two qualifying rounds and has shown some comfortability on the grass. The young Austrian has spent most of his season competing in Challenger events and should relish this main draw tour-level opportunity. With that said, I believe the veteran Fucsovics will ride his serve to victory.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 3
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Nick Kyrgios vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Kyrgios returns to the court for the first time since early April after skipping out on most of the clay-court season. The Australian has a career-winning percentage of 60.0% on the grass, using his big serve and powerful groundstrokes to end points quickly. He will try and find his footing against 20-year-old Jiri Lehecka. Lehecka is playing just his second career tour-level match on grass. It takes players years to grow comfortable on this surface, and because of the proclivity Kyrgios has shown on grass, I believe he will roll.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 2
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Andy Murray vs Christopher O’Connell
Head-to-Head: Murray 1-0 O’Connell
The grass season is a welcomed sight for two-time Wimbledon champion Murray. The Briton played in just one clay-court tournament this season, using the time to rest and prepare for the grass-court circuit. Last week he won three matches, reaching the semifinals of the Surbiton Challenger in his first grass tournament of the season. Murray and Christopher O’Connell are squaring off for the second time in 2022. Murray bested the Aussie 6-7 6-3 7-5 back in February in Dubai. O’Connell convincingly worked his way through the qualifying rounds of Stuttgart but has yet to win a main draw, tour-level match on grass in his career. Andy Murray is motivated and ready to take this grass-court season by storm.
Prediction: Murray in 2
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