After the 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 Taylor Fritz against Cam Norrie and Alexei Popyrin against Karen Khachanov 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
Casper Ruud vs Yosuke Watanuki
Head-to-head: First meeting
Casper Ruud has been vulnerable off of clay for the majority of the season whilst Yosuke Watanuki has recently shown he can hang with the best in the world with a close-fought contest against Taylor Fritz in Shanghai. Alarm bells are ringing going into this match, especially given Watanuki will be well-acclimatised to the conditions. It will go down to the wire but Ruud is probably still clutch enough to eek out the win.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: Khachanov 2-0 Popyrin
Two matches played, two wins for Karen Khachanov over Alexei Popyrin in third-set tiebreaks. There’s not much in it when these two take to the court by virtue of the Aussie’s serve but, in the crunch moments, Khachanov has been able to out-rally Popyrin.
Will this same pattern follow in the third consecutive year they’ve met on the tour? Not much has changed in each player’s game so we’re predicting a similar outcome to their previous two meetings.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Sho Shimabukuro vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: First meeting
Cristian Garin has fought tooth and nail to find some form on a hard court again. Is all that work finally paying off? He’s reaching the same peaks as before on the court but some of that confidence has waned in the bigger moments.
Sho Shimabukuro’s recent level suggests he’ll be able to match the Chilean blow for blow. Having defeated some high-ranked players recently and playing on home soil, we believe Shimabukuro could take advantage of Garin’s dips.
Prediction: Shimabukuro in 3
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Francisco Cerundolo vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: Schwartzman 3-0 Cerundolo
Tennis fans went crazy for Diego Schwartzman’s form last week but the reality is fairly sobering. This was the first time Schwartzman had won three matches in a row on hard courts since 2021. It was a small victory that didn’t quite prove the Argentinian is close to the level that took him to #8 in the world.
Francisco Cerundolo is no stranger to notching consecutive wins. His firepower will allow him to dictate play in this match and, given Schwartzman’s overall season, we expect this to lead him to a clear victory.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 2
Taylor Fritz vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: 6-6
It’s the 13th installment of Cam Norrie vs Taylor Fritz, and the head-to-head is tied at six wins apiece. It feels like there’s a clear favourite here, however. One look at their recent form tells all–Fritz has won 16 of his last 22 matches whilst Norrie has won four of his last 15 matches.
It’s a stark contrast that will surely make all the difference in a head-to-head where there’s historically been very little to separate the two players.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Main Photo Credit: Yannick Peterhans – USA TODAY Sports
