Fans of clay-court tennis had better follow this week’s ATP Santiago Open extensively, because there aren’t going to be any ATP Tour events on this surface in March. We start things off with four singles main draw matches on day one and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match. But who will reach the second round in Chile?
ATP Santiago Day 1 Predictions
Pedro Martinez vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: Martinez 1-1 Hanfmann
These two met in the quarterfinals at Santiago last year. Pedro Martinez won that match and eventually claimed the title. The Spaniard has struggled badly since, however, and will fall out of the top 100 if he loses early here. Yannick Hanfmann, meanwhile, crushed both his opponents in the qualifying draw and is always dangerous in altitude clay conditions, finishing runner-up in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel before. He’s the favorite to win this rematch.
Prediction: Hanfmann in 3
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Riccardo Bonadio vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Head-to-head: Galan 1-0 Bonadio
Riccardo Bonadio, already famous in some quarters for his incredibly beautiful one-handed backhand, is set to make a long-awaited main-draw debut. Can the 29-year-old produce his best tennis on the occasion? We’ll see, but he’s certainly coming off a very solid qualifying campaign. While Daniel Elahi Galan started the year with one win and five losses, this does feel like a great opportunity for him. Especially as he can utilize the 500m altitude conditions so much better than Bonadio with his greater power on the serve and forehand combination.
Prediction: Galan in 2
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Pedro Cachin vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Head-to-head: Cerundolo 1-0 Cachin
Pedro Cachin is just 1-7 for the year, but it doesn’t come as that much of a surprise after the Argentinian was really maxing out his potential last year. This is a great opportunity for him, but so it is for Juan Manuel Cerundolo. While the youngster started his 2023 campaign with back-to-back Challenger titles, it’s still unclear whether his quirky playstyle can translate onto the main tour in the long run. Cachin’s not an opponent that will blow him off the court and maybe Cerundolo can have some fun here against someone with a pretty simplistic game.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 3
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Alejandro Tabilo vs Jaume Munar
Head-to-head: Tabilo 1-0 Munar
Alejandro Tabilo was in such fantastic form last Golden Swing, but he hasn’t been able to scale those heights again so far in 2023. As such, he’s defending a semifinal here and will barely stay in the top 200 if he can’t defend it. While he does own a head-to-head win over Jaume Munar from two years back, that late 2021/early 2022 patch was by far the best one of his career. He could pay the ultimate price here as the Spaniard is also quite desperate for wins right now.
Prediction: Munar in 3
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
