There should be a massive turnout on day one of the ATP Antwerp Open with Belgium’s lone ATP Tour event set to welcome some of the world’s best tennis players this week. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, but who will advance?
ATP Antwerp Day 1 Predictions
Gregoire Barrere vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Head-to-head: Barrere 1-0 Galan
Gregoire Barrere had to drop down the Challengers to arrest a terrible run of results during the US swing. That decision paid off, as the Frenchman attained a semifinal run in Rennes. He’s been very cold since returning to Tour-level action, but not that you could point a finger for losing to Carlos Alcaraz in Shanghai. He’ll take the positives on how strongly he was able to finish that match. Daniel Elahi Galan is not a player with a documented pedigree on this surface. The Colombian has never won an indoor hard-court match on the ATP Tour, either in qualifying or the main draw. By dint of that stat, Barrere should be heavily favored to progress.
Prediction: Barrere in 2
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Jaume Munar vs Mark Lajal
Head-to-head: first meeting
Some players don’t quite hold this stage of the season in high regard. One of those is Jaume Munar who has had one win on indoor hard courts since the start of 2022. His opponent Mark Lajal is a massive talent from Estonia. He’s only 20, but he’s got a fine blend of serve and forehand that could be detrimental to Munar’s counterpunching game. The Spaniard is tactically inept outside clay courts, and he is likely to be outplayed by the World No. 237.
Prediction: Lajal in 3
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Arthur Rinderknech vs Hugo Gaston
Head-to-head: Gaston 1-0 Rinderknech
This will be a clash of styles as big-hitting Arthur Rinderknech battles countryman Hugo Gaston. The 23-year-old lefty is a high-skill level player with wondrous variety. He won the pair’s solitary meeting in their head-to-head at the 2021 Paris Masters in three sets. And Gaston appears to bring reasonable recent form to the tournament after a quarterfinal run at the Mouilleron-Le-Captif Challenger on indoor hard courts. Rinderknech has struggled to follow up his breakthrough 2022 season, but his mercurial serving works superbly when he picks his spots. These conditions should allow him to tap into his best tennis.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 3
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David Goffin vs Quentin Halys
Head-to-head: first meeting
A stalwart of Belgian tennis, David Goffin has lost his way in the ATP Tour in the past 18 months. Incidentally, his best result in that timespan was in Antwerp a year ago, where he reached the quarterfinal. Goffin has been relegated to the ATP Challengers for most of this season where he has recorded some steady, if not spectacular results to keep his ranking in the Top 100. Quentin Halys, for his part, has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes and is a regular on the main tour these days. He is a perennial threat under the roof and his track record speaks for itself. Haly’s confidence is at its lowest, but nothing suggests Goffin is out of his own mire to win this match.
Prediction: Halys in 3
Main photo credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
