Some of the big guns will be in action at the Mifel Tennis Open in Los Cabos including fifth seed Alex de Minaur who will play Tunisian qualifier Skander Mansouri. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. Who do you think will advance?
ATP Los Cabos Day 2 Predictions
Beibet Zhukayev vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: first meeting
With just seven wins from 23 matches, this is teetering to become Ilya Ivashka’s worst-ever season on the ATP tour. That is unless he can salvage something out of the ordinary in the second half of the season. Getting kinder draws certainly helps his cause and he’s got one here. Beibit Zhukayev is only 22 but has made steady progress in the lower levels of men’s tennis, most notably reaching his first Challenger final in Little Rock. The young Kazakh comes in with plenty of hard-court momentum and played two qualifying matches at the weekend, winning at a canter. Even though Ivashka has not been dependable of late and is completely out of touch, he’s the favorite to edge this one.
Prediction: Ivashka in 3
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Jason Jung vs Ernesto Escobedo
Head-to-head: Escobedo 4-1 Jung
Jason Jung lost in the final round of qualifying to Omni Kumar but enters the main draw using the back door as a lucky loser. It was a surprise defeat whichever way you look at it given Jung’s pretty strong record against lower-ranked opposition this season. Ernesto Escobedo is a former top-100 mainstay but has predominantly featured on the Challenger and ITF tours in recent seasons. He’s got a formidable head-to-head record against Jason Jung, whom he has beaten twice in the last 12 months. Advantage to the home wild card.
Prediction: Escobedo in 2
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Otto Virtanen vs James Duckworth
Head-to-head: first meeting
James Duckworth hasn’t really stepped up of late, but he was superb in the first half of the calendar in which he reached three Challenger finals on a hardcourt, including once in Morelos, Mexico. Otto Virtanen, by contrast, didn’t have issues converting his finalist appearances to titles, bagging a couple indoors in Lugano and Lille. He’s got the overall package and at 22 can still improve with his all-round game. The Finn is coming off a clay-court tournament from Europe this past week and could be slightly unprepared for the energetic Aussie.
Prediction: Duckworth in 3
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Alex de Minaur vs Skander Mansouri
Head-to-head: first meeting
Qualifying for the event is cause enough for celebration for Tunisia’s Skander Mansouri who defeated Jordan’s Abedallah Shelbayh in an all-Arab affair. But his next assignment is a massive upgrade in almost every facet including ranking. De Minaur arrives in Los Cabos looking for a headstart after a rather subdued exit in Atlanta. Expect the fifth seed to get his US Open summer swing up and running.
Prediction: De Minaur in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
