The first round of the 2023 Delray Beach Open will be wrapped up on Tuesday. Dallas semifinalist J.J. Wolf kicks off his campaign against Ilya Ivashka. Who do you think will prevail? We also have predictions for the other three day 2 matches, including Ben Shelton vs Marcos Giron.
Christopher Eubanks vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: Eubanks 2-1
These two faced off in the final qualifying round, so this will be an opportunity for a very early rematch! Before Christopher Eubanks won that one 7-6 1-6 6-4, Aleksandar Vukic actually defeated him in straight sets in November. They both possess excellent serves and are clearly evenly matched. The Australian probably has more potential on an outdoor hard court, but he’s not in particularly great form at the moment. A small edge to Eubanks, but it’s really as small as it gets.
Prediction: Eubanks in 3
Taro Daniel vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-head: Daniel 2-1
Taro Daniel won both their hard court meetings so far, but despite that he doesn’t really come in as the favorite here. The Japanese withdrew late from Dallas due to an illness and we’ll see whether he’s 100% fit by now. Even without this small question mark, Mackenzie McDonald is just in much better form to start off the year with his Australian Open run and a solid showing in Dallas last week.
Prediction: McDonald in 2
Jack Sock vs Matija Pecotic
Head-to-head: First meeting
What a run it’s been for Matija Pecotic, who hasn’t even really been a full-time pro in recent years, working in real estate. A former college athlete for Princeton, the 33-year-old, who made the qualifiying draw as an alternate, will be making his main tour debut due to his dismissals of Stefan Kozlov and Tennys Sandgren. Jack Sock isn’t exactly at the top of his game right now, but he did raise his game for the event in Dallas last week. If he can do it again, he theoretically shouldn’t struggle here.
Prediction: Sock in 2
J.J. Wolf vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been fantastic to follow J.J. Wolf’s journey of finding his footing on the main tour and growing a lot as a match player. He’s coming off a big run in Dallas, where he reached the semifinals and narrowly lost to John Isner. Ilya Ivashka is on a six-match losing streak dating back to October. Getting a draw like Wolf on home soil isn’t ideal when you’re looking to get a bit of a break.
Prediction: Wolf in 2
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