A number exciting matches will take place Tuesday at the ATP Washington Open, as the remainder of the first round gets underway and a few matches kick off the second round. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Ben Shelton vs Shang Juncheng. But who will advance?
ATP Washington Day 2 Predictions
Taro Daniel vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Head-to-head: Daniel 1-1 Kokkinakis
While this matchup is dead even, the pair haven’t played a completed match since 2018. Both players will be definitely happy to play on their preferred surface, but there will certainly be nerves on the line, as this tournament has some key ranking points up for grabs. Daniel surprisingly chose to spend his early summer on the clay courts, compiling a disappointing 1-3 record. Meanwhile, Kokkinakis has US hard court experience already, claiming a thrilling final-set tiebreak victory over showman Gael Monfils. With momentum on the hard courts, he’ll definitely go into this encounter as the slight favorite.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 2
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Zachary Svadja vs Max Purcell
Head-to-head: First meeting
Zachary Svadja has been looking to make a breakthrough on the ATP Tour for a couple of seasons now, and certainly has taken steps in the right direction. The young American took out the red-hot Ben Shelton to win a Challenger in Tiburon and made a name for himself at the 2021 US Open. He’s also won the Kalamazoo USTA Nationals on two occasions, rendering him one of the top American future stars.
Max Purcell plays solid consistent tennis on the hard courts, but his game tends to fare better in doubles. The Aussie is also on a five-match losing streak, and while this match looks like an opportunity to break that streak, I’m picking the upset on this one. Svadja has momentum as a qualifier in this tournament and will use the home crowd to his advantage.
Prediction: Svadja in 3Embed from Getty Images
Emil Ruusuvori vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Head-to-head: Ruusuvori 3-0 Nishioka
This is about as bad of an opening match as you could get for Yoshiota Nishioka, a player defending 300 ranking points and looking to maintain his spot in the top 30. Nishioka took advantage of some open draws to successfully reach the second week at two Grand Slams this year, doing so at the Australian and French Opens. However, his tour-level matchplay hasn’t been as impressive as of late, evident in his latest shock loss to Aleksander Vukic in Atlanta.
Even worse for Nishioka, Emil Ruusuvori has already played a match in the US capital, taking out Lestienne in two comfortable sets. Nishioka will have to play some of his best tennis, but the pressure may be too much to surmount. Ruusuvori has a dangerous offensive game that could blow counterpunching players like Nishioka off the court.
Prediction: Ruusuvori in 3
Main photo credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
