Carlos Alcaraz is making his return to clay courts at the ATP Hamburg European Open after losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Can the opening-round matchup against Nicola Kuhn prove to be somewhat tricky? Another Roland Garros quarterfinalist, Holger Rune, kicks off his campaign by playing Tallon Griekspoor. Who do you think makes the next stage of the tournament?
ATP Hamburg Day 2 Predictions
Francisco Cerundolo vs Daniel Altmaier
Head-to-head: Altmaier 1-0
Is this a potential trap for the Bastad champion? Possibly, but it’s not like Daniel Altmaier has been in brilliant form of late. The German suffered a couple of early exits to great players which didn’t allow him to find the right rhythm. Cerundolo is also one of the players who are really impacted by their confidence level and right now, it should be sky-high. The Argentinian has to trust his forehand and when he does, he’s capable of incredible achievements.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 3
Federico Coria vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Head-to-head: Galan 2-1
Daniel Elahi Galan recently crushed Federico Coria at the Parma Challenger, but this match might not be similar. Since then, the Colombian had a couple of early losses, while his opponent won a title in Milan and really picked up his game. Even last week, Coria got so close to eliminating Andrey Rublev in Bastad. Undoubtedly, Galan has easier ways to win points and could dominate the baseline as he did last time they played. Coria can construct rallies too and has been excellent at grinding down opponents recently though.
Prediction: Coria in 3
Tallon Griekspoor vs Holger Rune
Head-to-head: First meeting
Holger Rune just hasn’t found that stability yet and he’s been winless since making the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Tallon Griekspoor will be in a far superior match rhythm, taking the title at a Challenger in Amersfoort just last week. The Dutchman was firing his serve and forehand like he hasn’t been all year and he will arrive in Hamburg with so much confidence. This screams upset alert unless Rune can quickly improve on his last performances.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 3
Carlos Alcaraz vs Nicola Kuhn
Head-to-head: First meeting
Nicola Kuhn is back to representing Germany and it would be great to see the 22-year-old show something reminiscent of the potential everyone once thought he had. He’s an excellent aggressive ball-striker, but sadly he only produces his peak level a few times in a season. Even if that happens in Hamburg, his game could turn out to be a little bit too one-dimensional to trouble Alcaraz. Even if the top seed has a slow start, he should be coming through to the second round here.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
