It promises to be an exciting second day of tennis at the ATP Stockholm Open. There are six matches scheduled in total. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka’s match is one of three predicted in this article. We at LWOT have a separate article with predictions for the other three contests in Stockholm- including Sebastian Baez vs JJ Wolf. But who do you think will advance to the second round in Sweden?
ATP Stockholm Day 2 Predictions
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Benjamin Hassan
Head-to-head: First meeting
This matchup is typically one Ruusuvuori would expect to prevail in relatively comfortably. However, this is the Finn’s first tournament in two months due to repeated illness. Therefore, it will be interesting to observe whether Ruusuvuori can quickly find his stride again at the ATP Stockholm Open. Hassan fought admirably to win both his qualifying matches in three-set battles. The 28-year-old is currently at a career-best ranking of world no.161 and also reached a Challenger Tour final earlier this month in Lisbon. This could be a dangerous first match back for Ruusuvuori against an opponent with momentum. However, the 24-year-old is still the superior player by far and his hard-hitting is likely to be enough, even if he is not at his vintage best.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 3
Dan Evans vs Filip Misolic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Evans has been a difficult player to predict throughout the season. The Briton showed his immense talent during an incredible run to the title in Washington in August but has also suffered many first-round losses. Nonetheless, it would be a huge surprise if Misolic caused an upset in this ATP Stockholm first-round. The Austrian is a clay court specialist, with all ten of his finals on the Futures and Challenger circuit coming on the dirt. He is also currently outside the Top 100. Evans looked good recently in battles with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, despite ultimately losing both matches. Anything close to that level should be enough to progress at the ATP Stockholm Open.
Prediction: Evans in 2
Stan Wawrinka vs Borna Gojo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Wawrinka has won most of his first-round matches this season. However, he failed to get past that stage in his last two tournaments. The first was a very tight defeat to Marcos Giron in a high-quality contest but the other was a poorer performance against Dusan Lajovic. This is Gojo’s first match since a career-best run to the fourth-round at the US Open. The Croatian possesses an extremely attacking playing style. It may be difficult for him to consistently find his range after not playing a match in nearly six weeks. Wawrinka may be past his prime but the Swiss has had a pretty consistent 2023 so far. I think his groundstrokes off both wings will extract enough errors from the racket of Gojo to progress at the ATP Stockholm Open.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui – USA TODAY Sports
