Main draw action at theATP Adelaide International kicks off on New Year’s Day with two matches. The final round of the qualifying event will also be completed. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for both main draw matches, but who will secure their place in the second round in the South Australian capital?
ATP Adelaide Day 1 Predictions
Yibing Wu vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is a final qualifying round matchup between two players who fared extremely well on Sunday. Yibing Wu was down in the second set against Ugo Humbert, but unleashed some violent pace off the ground in the key moments to get the better of the Frenchman. Home hope Alexei Popyrin, meanwhile, scored a very clean win over Zhizhen Zhang. We could see fireworks in this one. The Chinese probably should be perceived as a slight favourite, especially as he’s still severely underranked due to his three-year hiatus and ongoing physical limitations forcing him to keep his schedule light.
Prediction: Wu in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Mackenzie McDonald vs Daniel Elahi Galani
Head-to-head: Galan 1-0 McDonald
It still seems like a bit of a lottery whether Daniel Elahi Galan will perform on hard courts. The win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open was glorious, but he has also suffered a few disappointing losses since. While he owns a head-to-head success over Mackenzie McDonald, it was a hard-fought battle at a clay Challenger in Heilbronn. The conditions in Adelaide will be much better for the American, where the quicker court should help his more front foot brand of tennis. This looks like a great chance for him to kick off his season with a victory at the ATP Adelaide International.
Prediction: McDonald in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Marcos Giron vs Richard Gasquet
Head-to-head: first meeting
This match seems incredibly tight on paper and this being their first match of the new season makes it especially challenging to predict the outcome. Richard Gasquet is now many years past his prime, but the ball-striking ability the Frenchman doesn’t simply go away and as a result he’s still able to produce tennis of very high quality on his day, even if his court coverage has markedly declined. Marcos Giron doesn’t have that sort of upside, but he’s a gritty competitor who should be able to make this clash pretty physical. That could grant him the tiniest of edges if it goes to a deciding set.
Prediction: Giron in 3
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
