After some brilliant showings from Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie, the ATP’s Golden Swing goes on to Santiago without them, giving the other players in the draw a chance to break out. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win?
ATP Santiago Day 2 Predictions
Fabio Fognini vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head-to-head: first meeting
Looking for his first winning season since 2019, 35-year-old Fabio Fognini got the ball rolling last week in Rio with his win over Tomas Barrios Vera being his first. The Italian then dug deep in a great performance against Carlos Alcaraz, though hobbled by an injury after the first set. Etcheverry put a nice run together in Buenos Aires, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Cameron Norrie from a set up. The Argentine also led by a set in his two other losses on the Golden Swing. With Etcheverry’s level being generally decent throughout his recent matches and with Fognini’s potentially lingering ankle issues, I will lean toward the 23-year-old here.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 2
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Thiago Monteiro
Head-to-head: Ramos-Vinolas 4-2 Monteiro
The seventh meeting between these two clay specialists, all on the red dirt over the course of the past six years, including in Santiago in 2020, when the Spaniard was victorious. Ramos-Vinolas has made the semifinals here in both of his previous appearances and has had a decent showing on the Golden Swing, reaching a semifinal in Cordoba and a quarterfinal in Rio. Monteiro brought the heroics to Rio, breaking an eight-loss streak on the main Tour with a third-set tiebreak win over Dominic Thiem before bowing out to Cameron Norrie in two tight sets. This should be a good match though I expect the Spanish veteran to win.
Prediction: Ramos-Vinolas in 3
Laslo Djere vs Joao Sousa
Head-to-head: Djere 1-0 Sousa
With a mediocre 2-2 record across the Golden Swing, Djere’s season has not gone the way some might have expected after his win over Casper Ruud in Auckland. The Serb’s easy loss to Dusan Lajovic in his most recent showing is proof of his middling form, though his opponent is struggling even more. At 33, Sousa is looking to make one more push towards regular main tour appearances as he rebuilds his ranking. The Portuguese made the quarterfinals in Cordoba but has not played well since, taking a rough 0-6 2-6 loss to Hugo Dellien in Rio. Djere also won their only previous meeting last season, giving me even more confidence in him.
Prediction: Djere in 2
Nicolas Jarry vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Head-to-head: Jarry 3-3 Varillas
A seventh meeting coming up between these 27-year-olds born just five days apart. Jarry and Varillas have played some classics in the past, meeting in a final qualifying round at Roland Garros last year that went down to the third-set tiebreak. Both are also playing some of their best tennis at the moment, Jarry returning to the Top 100 for the first time since his 2020 doping suspension while Varillas set his new career-high ranking of 77. The Peruvian’s Buenos Aires semifinal run was the cause of that, beating Lorenzo Musetti and Dominic Thiem. Jarry also beat Musetti last week in Rio as well as Sebastian Baez before going a set up on World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. This should be a good match with a great atmosphere as Jarry has not won a match in his hometown before. I believe the Chilean will break this streak.
Prediction: Jarry in 3
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
