Like with most European events this week, rain has been an issue at the 2023 ATP Hamburg European Open. Thankfully the tournament has a roof on Centre Court, which allowed the organizers to get back on track by Thursday. Now it’s time to wrap up the second round and the German fans will be eager to see if Daniel Altmaier can take down Andrey Rublev (and if Yannick Hanfmann progresses against Zhizhen Zhang). Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Hamburg Day 4 Predictions
Arthur Fils vs Dusan Lajovic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Arthur Fils cooled down a bit since picking up his maiden ATP Tour title in Lyon, but the 19-year-old’s talent will not be hiding itself for that long. Perhaps the conditions in Hamburg could also provide him with a nice opportunity to get back to winning ways. He’s already done that by beating Daniel Elahi Galan in the opening round. Dusan Lajovic is a veteran who had a small purple patch this year, but the amount of firepower he has compared to Fils isn’t all that impressive.
Prediction: Fils in 2
Yannick Hanfmann vs Zhizhen Zhang
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is the best year of Yannick Hanfmann’s career and the post-Wimbledon swing is usually very fruitful for him. Now he’s coming off a quarterfinal appearance in Gstaad and while he lost to Hamad Medjedovic pretty tamely there, it still seems like he’s playing with a ton of confidence. Zhizhen Zhang is a fellow big-hitter who will make it tough for him though. Hanfmann’s trademark kicker should be a big weapon here and he’s just more consistent than the Chinese.
Prediction: Hanfmann in 2
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Casper Ruud vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: Garin 3-1
This was once a main tour final in Houston 2019. Cristian Garin won that one and also their most recent meeting at Indian Wells this year. That was during a poor patch of the play from the Norwegian though and he is out of the woods by now. Garin was also peaking between the Sunshine Double and Rome, where he got injured. It doesn’t seem like he’s back to that form yet, so Ruud will be the favorite here, despite the head-to-head and the fact he was struggling against Sebastian Baez in the opening round.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Andrey Rublev vs Daniel Altmaier
Head-to-head: First meeting
After triumphing in Bastad last week, Andrey Rublev had to save three match points in the opening round here against Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Will fatigue be a factor? Maybe, but the Russian is often playing a very busy schedule so he’s somewhat used to handling issues like this. Daniel Altmaier scored one of the best wins of his career at Roland Garros against Jannik Sinner this year and he’ll need a performance like this again to win here. It could be tough, but maybe Rublev clutches it out again?
Prediction: Rublev in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
