Day 5 at the United Cup will provide plenty of exciting action, with the field headlined by Rafael Nadal, the all-time Slam title holder who got off to a very shaky start of his season with a loss against Cameron Norrie. The Spaniard has a chance to redeem himself and start gearing up for an Australian Open title defense run against an equally tough and consistent opponent in de Minaur. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches, split between two articles. One features Stefanos Tsitsipas vs David Goffin and the other features Taylor Fritz vs Alexander Zverev.
United Cup Day 5 Predictions
Martina Trevisan vs Marlene Helgo
Head-to-head: first meeting
Helgo was totally out of her depth in her first match here and there’s no reason to believe it will be much different now. Trevisan isn’t exactly a Slam contender, but she’s a solid, consistent WTA player ranked inside the top 30 and should have more than enough to dispose of a player ranked outside the Top 300 of the world.
Prediction: Trevisan in 2
Lorenzo Musetti vs Viktor Durasovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Musetti had an excellent end to this 2022 season, making many believe he could become a real contender on all surfaces and not just on clay. It remains to be seen whether 2023 will see a real breakthrough for Musetti, into the top 10 and competing for big titles on a consisent basis, but Durasovuc shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz vs Zoe Hives
Head-to-head: first meeting
More than 700 ranking spots separate the two players and anything other than a relatively straightforward Parrizas-Diaz win here would be a considerable surprise. It’s one of the biggest mismatches you’ll see on either tour all year when it comes to ranking.
Prediction: Parrizas Dias in 2
Rafael Nadal vs Alex De Minaur
Head-to-head: Nadal 3-0 De Minaur
Nadal started the season with a terrible performance and a loss against Norrie, but you can never, ever write him out. De Minaur has a better chance than he would usually have given the current circumstances, but you definitely expect Nadal to ramp it up here and pull through.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
