It’s Day 2 at the ATP Miami Open and we already have plenty of interesting matches on offer. How will the young phenom Juncheng Shang fare against the never-to-be-underestimated threat of Adrian Mannarino? How will lefty Alex Molcan deal with Stefanos Tsitsipas’ recent conqueror Jordan Thompson? As always at LWOT, we’ve tried to predict the outcomes Miami’s first clashes.
ATP Miami Day 2 Predictions
Roberto Carballes Baena vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles
Head-to-head: Carballes Baena 5-2 Zapata Miralles (all level)
It’s amazing what the Golden Swing can do to a player’s ranking. With relatively low-ranked players in the draws, it can be a massive opportunity for a clay-court-centric player to grind out a few hard fought wins to gain a huge boost in ranking points. Bernabe Zapata Miralles is the donee of this portion of the tour, a fantastic clay-courter with great rally temperament, now in the top 50, but with a lack of weaponry that will struggle to make a dent against other top 50 players on a hard-court.
Roberto Carballes Baena is about even with Zapata Miralles despite the latter being less than half his ranking. Carballes Baena has made a lot of inroads on his serve, however–this could be all that’s required to separate the two Spaniards in what will likely be a close contest.
Prediction: Carballes Baena in 3
Alex Molcan vs Jordan Thompson
Head-to-head: First meeting
Though Jordan Thompson notched a fantastic win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Miami Open, the Greek was far from his best. Even with the shoulder injury, the match was very tight and became quite messy from Thompson’s end. At the end of the day, Thompson is still far removed from his career high ranking of #43 for a reason and shouldn’t be overrated for this win.
Likewise however, it shouldn’t be forgotten that although Alex Molcan scored a one-sided win over Borna Coric in Indian Wells, his record on hard-courts from the start of 2022 has been a fairly poor 11-18. Neither player is quite playing at the peak of their powers but Thompson should feel a little more comfortable holding his serve than the Slovak.
Prediction: Thompson in 3
Gregoire Barrere vs Roman Safiullin
Head-to-head: Barrere 1-0 Safiullin (all levels)
Roman Safiullin leaves spectators wondering how on Earth he loses matches. His firepower from the back of the court can be obscene but the wheels do come off from time to time.
Whether or not Gregoire Barrere will be able to utilize his talent long enough to capitalize is in question. The pressure will be well and truly on, with both players playing only their second main draw at a Masters event. We believe the moment will play a factor in how both men perform, giving the advantage to the steadier of the two players.
Prediction: Barrere in 3
Adrian Mannarino vs Juncheng Shang
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is an unfortunate match-up for Juncheng Shang. Adrian Mannarino is a fellow lefty that utilizes his southpaw better than the youngster (have a look at his sliding serve) and the Frenchman doesn’t so much grind as unpick his opponents. For all of the athleticism and zip Shang has on the court, it may not mean much against the awkward balls Mannarino will feed to him over and over again.
The 18-year-old is still fresh to the Tour and will be growing week by week. He isn’t quite there yet, though, and may be surprised by how difficult this match will be.
Prediction: Mannarino in 2
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
