Top players on the ATP Tour are looking to round into form this week in Eastbourne one week ahead of the Championships at Wimbledon. Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Sonego square off in a rematch of last year’s final. Jannik Sinner is looking for his first career grass-court win, and British wild card Ryan Peniston is looking to continue his in-form play. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our previews and predictions for every match, including Cameron Norrie vs Brandon Nakashima.
ATP Eastbourne Day 3 Predictions
Alex de Minaur vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-Head: de Minaur 2-0 Sonego
In a rematch of the 2021 final in Eastbourne, Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Sonego are both looking to defend points in this Round 2 matchup. De Minaur was victorious in a grueling final last season 4-6 6-4 7-6. The Aussie comes into this match holding just a 2-2 record this season on the grass. Lorenzo Sonego made a run to the quarterfinals in Stuttgart two weeks ago. The Italian has a career-winning percentage of 59% on the grass. This will be a battle between Sonego’s offensive skills and de Minaur’s retrieving skills. With that said, the fast conditions should favor the more aggressive Italian.
Prediction: Sonego in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Thiago Monteiro
Head-to-Head: first meeting
As the 2019 Eastbourne Champion, Taylor Fritz has proven to be a very solid grass-court player early in his career. With that said, the American is 0-2 on the surface this season. Trying to gain some form ahead of Wimbledon, Fritz will try and get past clay-court ringer Thiago Monteiro. Monteiro has very little grass-court experience but worked his way through qualifying before impressively knocking off Ugo Humbert in Round 1. Monteiro is a good mover and consistent ball striker, but he lacks the power to have much success on the grass. I see the American coming out and handling this match.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Pedro Martinez vs Ryan Peniston
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Pedro Martinez picked up his first grass-court win of the season via retirement against his compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. It was the first match victory for Martinez in over two months. He will take on British Wildcard Ryan Peniston in Round 2. Peniston took full advantage of his Wildcard entry, knocking off Holger Rune 4-6 7-6 6-1 in Round 1. He holds a 7-3 on the grass this season in all competitions, including a quarterfinal run last week at the Queen’s Club. I believe Peniston’s comfortability on the grass and current in-form play will be the difference in this one.
Prediction: Peniston in 2
Jannik Sinner vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-Head: Sinner 1-0 Paul
#2 seed Jannik Sinner is making his first appearance on the grass this season. The 20-year-old Italian holds a 0-4 record on the surface in his tour-level career. Picking up his first win on Wednesday may be tough as he takes on feisty American Tommy Paul. Paul overcame a first-set defeat to top Francisco Cerundolo in Round 1. The American has 2022 grass-court wins over Denis Shapovalov and Stan Wawrinka as he seems to be finding a new gear. Sinner’s powerful groundstrokes certainly project him as a good grass-court player, but the lack of experience is a bit concerning. With that said, I slightly favor the Italian in this one.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
