The action continues to come thick and fast in the North American hard court season. Although the event in Winston-Salem is following two consecutive Masters 1000 events, there are still many exciting players and matchups in the draw. The hard-hitting and entertaining Zhizhen Chang is one of those playing on day 1. We also have an article with predictions for the other matches in Winston-Salem- this includes Brandon Nakashima vs Jason Kubler. Which players will win in the final event before the US Open?
ATP Winston-Salem Day 1 Predictions
Alexander Shevchenko vs Marc-Andrea Huesler
Head-to-head: Shevchenko 1-0 Huesler
Shevchenko is incredibly talented and has a lot of firepower, but his game can fluctuate wildly. For instance, he got an excellent win against Sebastian Korda in Washington but followed it with a first-round loss as the #1 seed at a Challenger event the next week. Huesler has not had a particularly good year, currently being overshadowed by a resurgence from his compatriot Stan Wawrinka, but his biggest successes this year and throughout his career have been on hard courts. This one will likely come down to how well Shevchenko is striking the ball. However Huesler’s style might be a little bit too consistent for him. The Swiss looks to get a good win in Winston-Salem.
Prediction: Huesler in 3
Alex Michelsen vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Head-to-head: First meeting
It is understandable that Michelsen has not been at his best in his last two tournaments on the Challenger Tour. His run to the final on the grass courts of Newport was one of the stories of the season. Regaining his momentum was always going to be a challengee for an 18-year-old. However, this is a good opportunity to get another ATP Tour win on home soil. Varillas fights hard in every match. But he is a true clay court specialist, with 29 of his 30 ATP wins coming on the dirt. Although Michelsen is still inexperienced at this level, he is probably still the more comfortable of the two players on hard courts. That should get him a win in Winston-Salem.
Prediction: Michelsen in 2
Ilya Ivashka vs Zhizhen Zhang
Head-to-head: Ivashka 3-1 Zhang
Ivaskha is struggling this year. He did have a decent run to the quarterfinals in Los Cabos a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, that is really as good as it has gotten for a man who has lost 16 of his 25 matches on the ATP Tour this season. Ivashka can take hope from his good record against Zhang, and how inconsistent the Chinese player can be. Zhang is capable of hitting his opponent off the court if he finds his game. History suggests though that he finds it hard to do it against the Belarusian. In addition, Zhang’s only recent good results were on the clay courts of Hamburg, where he reached the semifinal. He has not flourished recently on hard courts. Ivaskha to get a morale boosting win in Winston-Salem.
Prediction: Ivashka in 3
Main Photo: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
