After a couple of days of United Cup action, ATP Tour tennis returns as well with a full day of action in Adelaide. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win? We also have predictions for matches featuring Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
ATP Adelaide Day 2 Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Christopher O’Connell
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kecmanovic is looking to follow up on an impressive 40-win season in which he broke the Top 30 and established himself as a dangerous player on the main tour. The Serb started the season with a nice run to the second week in Melbourne but his best tennis came at the sunshine swing when he reached the quarterfinals at both Indian Wells and Miami. Kecmanovic beat the likes of Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime during that stretch. O’Connell also began his year with a good run at the Australian Open, reaching the third round before going on to have a very strong Challenger Tour season. The Australian won titles in Split and Yokohama and also reached a main tour semifinal in San Diego. This match is an interesting opener for both in order to gauge where their form is to start the season. Kecmanovic should be the favorite though.
Predictions: Kecmanovic in 2
Mikael Ymer vs Roman Safiullin
Head-to-head: Ymer 1-1 Safiullin
A contrast of styles that has yielded interesting results in the past. The hard-hitting Safiullin up against the defensive Ymer is a good test for both players to start the season. They have split their previous two meetings, though surprisingly Safiullin defeated the Swede on clay last season while Ymer won their first meeting on the indoor hard in Koblenz in 2019. Safiullin has a slight advantage of qualifying for the event, already beating Yannick Hanfmann and Vasek Pospisil this season. The Russian did need three sets for both wins though and I expect that to be the case again here.
Predictions: Safiullin in 3
Jack Draper vs Soonwoo Kwon
Head-to-head: first meeting
Big things are expected of Draper in 2023 after the 21-year-old burst onto the scene last year. The Brit rose more than 200 spots in the rankings over the course of last season, going from No. 265 to No. 42. Draper dominated the Challenger Tour early last year with four titles in three months before establishing himself on the main tour. Kwon had a mediocre 25-30 record last year mostly on the main tour, not winning back-to-back matches until Tokyo in October. The South Korean has already impressed this season though, defeating Dominic Thiem and Taro Daniel to qualify for the main draw. Kwon could be difficult but Draper should overcome him here.
Predictions: Draper in 3
Holger Rune vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Head-to-head: first meeting
Rune had the most extraordinary rise last season, not only establishing himself as a main tour player but bursting into the Top 10 with the Paris Masters title. The Dane has said that he wants to go all the way to No. 1 this year and that would begin with a win over Nishioka. The Japanese player also stepped up last season though, breaking back into the Top 50 and reaching a new career-high ranking of 36. Nishioka won Seoul and reached the final of Washington in 2022 but if Rune is serious about his ambitions, he needs to dispatch Nishioka here.
Predictions: Rune in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
