After a two-week Masters in Shanghai, fans will be welcoming a short but sweet ATP 500 in Tokyo this week. The draw is stacked from the start, with matchups like Alex De Minaur against Jack Draper and Aslan Karatsev against Frances Tiafoe gracing us in the first round. We’ve predicted these matches and more on day two in the Japanese capital.
ATP Tokyo Day 2 Predictions
Shintaro Mochizuki vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head-to-head: First meeting
Shintaro Mochizuki is still a fair way off of competing at the highest level. He’s yet to score a win on the ATP Tour and he comes into this match with three consecutive losses from a set up to players outside the top 300. Despite the fact Tomas Martin Etcheverry isn’t a hard court natural, his level is still solid enough to find any chinks in the armour of players with a slight weakness from the back of the court.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 2
Ben Shelton vs Taro Daniel
Head-to-head: Shelton 1-0 Daniel
Say what you like about Ben Shelton, the man is really finding his own on the tennis court. His problem-solving ability is improving with every passing week, having won four of the last six matches in which he lost the first set.
Taro Daniel went toe-to-toe with Shelton at Wimbledon but that feels like a long time ago now. Three months later, Shelton feels like a clearer favourite regardless of whether or not the match gets complicated.
Prediction: Shelton in 2
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Aslan Karatsev vs Frances Tiafoe
Head-to-head: Tiafoe 2-0 Karatsev
Is Frances Tiafoe’s four-match losing streak indicative of his form? We don’t think so. The American is still having a career-best season and brings a consistently high base level into most of his matches. Who really knows with Aslan Karatsev, however. The Russian has generally had good results in Asia, the heat likely aiding his aggressive game, so we’re going to back the upset.
Prediction: Karatsev in 3
Alex De Minaur vs Jack Draper
Head-to-head: De Minaur 1-0 Draper
6-1 6-0. It’s not a scoreline you see often in the men’s game, but Jack Draper made it happen in the final round of qualifying against Jurij Rodionov here in Tokyo. The Brit continues to show just how effective his game can be against certain players–booming lefty serves and persistently effective groundstrokes that are so difficult to neutralise when Draper’s feeling it on a fast, hard court.
There’s no question he has the potential firepower to take the win against Alex De Minaur. He’ll also be able to take advantage of the Aussie’s mediocre serving with his underrated return game. Whilst we recognise De Minaur has had a fantastic season, we do think Draper can sustain a high enough level for long enough.
Prediction: Draper in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai – USA TODAY Sports
