There are many exciting matchups on the Day 1 of the ATP 500 event in Washington. One of these involves Gael Monfils, who is looking to respond positively after losing an epic first round match in Atlanta last week. We at LWOT also have prediction articles for the rest of the day’s ATP matches in Washington. These include Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman and Marcos Giron vs Radu Albot. Which players do you think will progress to the next round?
ATP Washington Day 1 Predictions
Yosuke Watanuki vs Yibing Wu
Head-to-head: First meeting
Watanuki is at a career high ranking of #102 and is seeking to break into the Top 100 for the first time this week in Washington after benefiting from Daniil Medvedev’s withdrawal to enter the main draw. The 25-year-old is a very skillful player, and I expect him to get into the Top 100 whether it happens in Washington or at a later event. Wu has mostly struggled for victories since his amazing run to the title in Dallas in February. He has a big game with a huge forehand when it is working at its maximum. But I am going with the lower ranked Watanuki for this one. I think he is the steadier player, and the match will hinge on whether Wu can hit the Japanese player off the court. In his current form I am not sure that is the ideal matchup for the low on confidence Wu.
Prediction: Watanuki in 3
Emilio Gomez vs Juncheng Shang
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is a great opportunity for both players to get a valuable ATP 500 win to their names. Gomez is ranked #139, while the qualifier Shang is #156 in the world. There may be slightly more pressure on Gomez. He is 31 years old and may wonder how many more chances he will get to have a favorable draw on paper for the first round of an ATP 500 event. By contrast the 18-year-old Shang will surely have many more matches at this level in the future. In matches where the ranking is close sometimes having momentum and a feel for the conditions from wins during qualifying can be very beneficial. That is the principal reason why I feel Shang will edge this one, although I think he will also play with slightly more freedom as the younger of the two players.
Prediction: Shang in 3
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Gael Monfils vs Bjorn Fratangelo
Head-to-head: First meeting
We saw the best and the worst of Gael Monfils in Atlanta against Thanasi Kokkinakis. He was near unstoppable in the first set, but his level fluctuated during the match as it often has for the supremely talented Frenchman and he ended up falling narrowly short. Monfils can still take some encouragement from many aspects of his performance and he should back himself to win this contest. Fratangelo has done very well to make it through qualifying, but the reality is he’s ranked #694 in the world right now. It would be very worrying for Monfils if he was not able to win a match like this. If he has real aspirations of getting back near the level he once was he cannot afford any upsets.
Prediction: Monfils in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
