Monday’s action sees defending champion Ugo Humbert take to the court. Joining him are the likes of Pablo Carreno Busta and Mackenzie McDonald. The question is, who emerges victorious at the end of the day’s play? We attempt to answer exactly that in this set of ATP Halle day 1 predictions. Feel free to have your say in our comments section below if you see things panning out differently!
ATP Halle Day 1 Predictions
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Holger Rune
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Carreno Busta
Rune continues to impress tennis fans around the world with his play on the court. His actions off the court may be less flattering, but there is no denying the young Dane’s talent. That being said, he faces tough opposition here in Carreno Busta. The Spaniard is a former top ten player with big results to his name on every surface. Rune is undoubtedly a future star in the men’s game. However, beating a player of Carreno Busta’s talent on a surface he isn’t familiar with is a tough ask here. I expect the Spaniard to move on from this encounter.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 2
Mackenzie McDonald vs Marc-Andrea Huesler
Head-to-head: First meeting
McDonald is the better player and deserved favourite heading into this match. Huesler is yet to crack the top 100 in the men’s game and has no real record to speak of on this surface prior to this year. By contrast, McDonald is a borderline top 50 player with two winning seasons and far more experience on grass than his opponent. This match should really only go one way barring a major upset and I struggle to make a case for that happening here.
Predictions: McDonald in 2
Ugo Humbert vs Radu Albot
Head-to-head: First meeting
Humbert should win this match easily. The young French star is the defending champion in Halle. He also has a great serve, flat groundstrokes and is capable if not comfortable coming forward. Albot offers little by way of resistance here, with an inferior serve and less power off the ground than Humbert. Neither is particular profound on grass, but Humbert has been solid at the very least on grass and a solid performance by him here gets him through to the next round.
Prediction: Humbert in 2.
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