Day 3 at the ATP Gstaad Open promises to give lots of quality tennis, with the top seeds coming into action. Casper Ruud starts his title defense, while third seed Roberto Bautista Agut also starts his campaign on Wednesday.
ATP Gstaad Open Day 3 Predictions
Juan Pablo Varillas vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Head-to-head: first meeting
Roberto Bautista Agut had a fine start to the year, with a title triumph at the Doha 250, after taking Spain to the the finals at the ATP cup. After a clay season that was cut short, he did made the final of the Mallorca Open, on grass. In short, it was the kind of year the ever-consistent Bautista Agut has every time, except for the clay exploits. He will be looking to go deep in this draw. Juan Pablo Varillas pulled off an upset against Lorenzo Sonego in his first round match. That win will boost his confidence to some extent, but confidence can do only so mush if your opponent is someone like Roberto Bautista Agut.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 2
Casper Ruud vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-head: first meeting
The defending champion starts his campaign, and on the clay courts of Gstaad, it is hard not to see him going all the way again this year. Ruud is a classic “master of one trade” of playing on clay, if you will. He took the one thing he does best, and built on it. The result? He is the World #5, and has eight ATP titles to his name already at 23 years of age. He isn’t here to mess around, he’s here for the cup. On the other side of the net, Jiri Lehecka made short work of his first round opponent. He is unlikely to trouble Ruud, though.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Jaume Munar vs Alexander Ritschard
Head-to-head: first meeting
Alexander Ritschard gave a fine showing to his home crowd, defeating eight seed Joao in straight sets to book a second round spot. Being a wildcard entrant, he will try to make the most of this opportunity. Jaume Munar survived a scare in his first round match, which lasted well over 2 hours. The next one might not be that tough for him though.
Prediction: Munar in 2
Dominic Thiem vs Federico Delbonis
Head-to-head: Thiem 2 – 0 Delbonis
Dominic Thiem defeated crafty Frenchman Hugo Gaston in a display of extreme tenacity in his first round match. The way he turned the match around after losing the set 1-6 is what is most appreciable, but certainly not surprising, coming from him. The scoreline of the third set had “Thiem” written all over it. The Mental endurance and grit is what sets him apart from his fellow generation. Most of the tennis fans all over the world will be hoping that this performances isn’t one-off, and Thiem comes back to his old ways. On the other side of the net, Federico Delbonis defeated Mikael Ymer in straight sets. It was a good performance overall, but if Thiem is to bring out his best–well, a very few can survive that.
Prediction: Thiem in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
