The action continues in Doha on Wednesday, with all eight second-round matches scheduled at the ATP 250 event. Among the eight players, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray features, on top of top seed Andrey Rublev. Four of the matches, including Andy Murray’s primetime showdown will be previewed here by LWOS. The previews for the other four matches are in a separate article. Who will advance to the quarterfinals?
ATP Doha Day 3 Predictions
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Christopher O’Connell
Head-to-head: 1-0 O’Connell
While O’Connell leads the head-to-head, Ruusuvuori has had a great start to 2024. After an appearance in the ATP Hong Kong Open finals, he nearly stunned World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne. O’Connell recently retired in the middle of an ATP Challenger Tour event — while healthy now, he hasn’t played as many matches compared to Ruusuvuori.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 2
Karen Khachanov vs Fabian Marozsan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Khachanov has fallen in the rankings since his loss of Australian Open semifinal points, but he did well to make the semifinals of the ATP 250 event in Marseille last week. The Russian cruised past Roberto Bautista Agut on Tuesday — he lost to Bautista Agut in his previous Doha appearance in 2022. Marozsan is no stranger to upset wins, taking out World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Rome last May, and more recently stunning Top 10 star Casper Ruud in Shanghai last October. Yet, Khachanov seems to be in solid form, and should have too much confidence.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
Gael Monfils vs Zhang Zhinzen
Head-to-head: First meeting
Monfils won a bizarre match on Tuesday against Botic van de Zandschulp, scraping through a long second-set tiebreak after a dramatic point penalty. The Frenchman won 70 percent of points off his first serve in that match and did well to dictate play in the latter part of the match. Meanwhile, Zhang looked flawless in his first-round match, taking out Lorenzo Musetti 6-2 6-0. Zhang should enjoy these faster courts, and tends to play his best tennis on outdoor courts–he may just have the edge with his good form as of late.
Prediction: Zhang in 3
Andy Murray vs Jakub Mensik
Head-to-head: First meeting
Mensik, at just 18 years old, has already been touted as a player to watch in the coming months. He claimed his first Top 30 win in the first round of Doha, taking out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(5) 6-4. With his pace and dangerous weapons, he’ll look to overpower Andy Murray, who has increasingly relied on defense and grit. Murray snatched a tough losing streak with a straight-sets win over Alexandre Muller, but this could be a big test for the Brit. With Mensik high on confidence, he may be able to pull off the slight upset.
Prediction: Mensik in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
