The ATP Tour heads to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the final event before the US Open. Although this 250 event does not have any of the top players in the world, there are still a lot of strong competitors in this 48-player draw. Laslo Djere and David Goffin headline what should be a good day of tennis in Winston-Salem. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. But who will advance?
ATP Winston-Salem Day 1 Predictions
Richard Gasquet vs Kamil Majchrak
Head-to-Head: Gasquet 1-0 Majchrak
Richard Gasquet and Kamil Majchark will square off for the second time this season with the veteran Frenchman besting the Pole 6-2 6-4 back in May. The 36-year-old former top-ten player has had an inconsistent season but has had some good moments against top players. Majchrak, on the other hand, has not won a match in over two months. He is 1-6 in his last 7 matches. I expect Gasquet’s consistency to lead him through Majchrak in this matchup.
Prediction: Gasquet in 2
Hugo Dellien vs Chun-Hsin Tseng
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Hugo Dellien is playing in his first hard-court match of the season against 21-year-old Chun-Hsin Tseng. Dellien, who is a clay-court specialist, has very little hard-court experience and struggles when he competes on the surface. Tseng holds a 7-6 hard-court record this season, though most of his matches have come at the Challenger level. I expect a battle from Dellien and Tseng, but ultimately see the hard-court form of the 21-year-old leading him to the finish line.
Prediction: Tseng in 3
Laslo Djere vs David Goffin
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Veterans Laslo Djere and David Goffin are set to square off for the first time on tour in round one at Winston-Salem. Goffin, who made a dream run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, is 0-3 in main draw matches since London. With that said, Djere has not won a hard court match since March. He is 3-5 on hard-courts this season. Neither player is a particular strong hard-court player, so I do see this one going the distance. I like Goffin to come through due to experience and a slightly better hard-court resume.
Prediction: Goffin in 3
Main Photo from Getty.