As usual in the week right before a Grand Slam, the field at Adelaide isn’t exactly the strongest, with no top 10 players in the draw. But it is still a very interesting draw and high unpredictable with many players capable of winning the tournament. Day 2 will bring us a lot of those high quality but hard to predict matches.
ATP Adelaide Day 2 Predictions
Alex Bolt vs Thiago Seyboth Wild
Head-to-head: Bolt 1-0 Wild
Althought Wild is much higher ranked, that ranking has been mostly built on good clay results, such as his run at Roland Garros last year, where he beat Daniil Medvedev. On a hard court, he has never shown the ability to have good runs and he is actually in this main draw as a lucky loser after losing to Diaz Acosta in the last round of qualifying. Bolt, on the other hand, is playing at home and had a nice run through qualifying, he comes in with some momentum and should pull through here.
Prediction: Bolt in 2
Yannick Hanfmann vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-head: Sonego 3-1 Hanfmann
After some very promising years in 2020 and 2021, Sonego didn’t really manage to build on them and seems to have plateaued as a top 50 player who can occasionally win a title. Hanfmann is around the same position in the rankings, but that’s on the back of a 2023 campaign that was by far the best of his career. At 32, Hanfmann is in the best moment of his career and looking for a maiden career title, this week is as good a chance as ever. It should be a very tight match here.
Prediction: Hanfmann in 3
James McCabe vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: first meeting
On paper, Bublik is a very clear favorite facing a lucky loser outside the top 250. However, Bublik is one of the most inconsistent and erratic players on tour so you can never be too sure when it comes to his matches. McCabe is playing at home and will surely be motivated here, but it will ultimately depend on which version of Bublik shows up.
Prediction: Bublik in 3
Rinky Hijikata vs Dan Evans
Head-to-head: first meeting
Evans’s 2023 was overall disappointing, with only two big runs at 500 level at Barcelona (semifinal loss to Alcaraz) and Washington (title) keeping him in the top 40. Meanwhile, Hijikata has been steadily rising and is fresh off a quarterfinal last week at Brisbane. He seems like the steadier player in general and playing at home he could have a slight edge here.
Prediction: Hijikata in 3
