The ATP Naples Cup has been a bit of a mess so far. One court at the original venue is finally ready though and we can begin the main draw action. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Luca Nardi vs Corentin Moutet. But who will reach the second round?
ATP Naples Day 1 Predictions
Taro Daniel vs Pedro Martinez
Head-to-head: first meeting
Pedro Martinez had been struggling throughout the summer, but the Spaniard landed a couple of decent wins in his last event at Tokyo to play his way back into form, at least partly. Taro Daniel, meanwhile, is definitely not in the same sort of form that saw make him such a promising start to the season. The Japanese is generally the stronger hard-court player, although it’s not like Martinez can’t translate his game when he’s got the confidence to hit his forehand with aggression. This match might not be pretty and it’s certainly tough to predict. Ultimately though, the Japanese should have just about enough.
Prediction: Daniel in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Head-to-head: Zapata Miralles 1-1 Galan
Daniel Elahi Galan had stellar runs at the US Open and at San Diego, but switching over to indoors was a total disaster for him. Now that he’s back on outdoor hard courts, can he find his game in time to defeat Bernabe Zapata Miralles? The Spaniard scored a solid win over Lorenzo Sonego in Florence last week and while he’s certainly not as dangerous off-clay, he’s always solid and will force Galan to hit through him. After the Colombian’s last two matches, it’s far from certain that he’ll be able to.
Prediction: Zapata Miralles in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Flavio Cobolli vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Miomir Kecmanovic should theoretically be too solid to lose here at the ATP Naples Cup, but that was also the case against Aleksandar Kovacevic in Seoul and he crashed out at the American’s hands in the first round. As well-rounded as the Serbian’s game is, he doesn’t quite have the upside to stop a peaking attacking player. Accordingly, Flavio Cobolli will be able to win this match if he can get his forehand really firing on Tuesday. Unfortunately for the young Italian, at this point of his career it rarely happens over an extended patch of play.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
