Will the legend of Joao Sousa come to an end on Tuesday at the 2024 ATP Millennium Estoril Open? The Portuguese will also be playing doubles with Joao Fonseca, but Arthur Fils might end his singles career. Can the best Portuguese player ever pull off a stunner here? Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Estoril Day 2 Predictions
Dominik Koepfer vs Pablo Llamas Ruiz
Head-to-head: First meeting
The clay season couldn’t come soon enough for Pablo Llamas Ruiz, who once again picked up his game and is using his wide repertoire to a great extent on this surface. The Spaniard qualified for this event and will be facing a pretty tricky customer in Dominik Koepfer in the opening round of the main draw. Maybe someone like Llamas Ruiz, who’s not overly reliant on big weapons, can actually enjoy himself in the matchup that many find uncomfortable? On clay that seems fairly possible.
Prediction: Llamas Ruiz in 3
Daniel Altmaier vs Pedro Martinez
Head-to-head: Martinez 1-0
Pedro Martinez won the title in Girona last week and has picked up three trophies at the Challenger level over the past six months in general. That allows him to solidify his Top 100 status and the Spaniard keeps proving he still belongs after a tougher patch. His confidence from last week might be very useful as he’s facing a fellow clay specialist in Daniel Altmaier here. There’s little to separate them, so maybe that extra bit that Martinez can take from his Girona run will be the deciding factor with the German just starting his clay season.
Prediction: Martinez in 2
Jan Choinski vs Joao Fonseca
Head-to-head: First meeting
Joao Fonseca is an incredible prospect, but we have to remember that at this stage of his career, it would be foolish to expect consistent performances from him in every match. Jan Choinski can be a deceptively tricky opponent too with a lot of heavy sustained hitting that he can use to pin you back and draw out errors. Fonseca is vulnerable to that type of game, so it’s a question of whether his raw talent will suffice.
Prediction: Fonseca in 3
Arthur Fils vs Joao Sousa
Head-to-head: First meeting
Joao Sousa is finishing his career this week as the highest-ranked Portuguese player ever. He’s still keeping a solid level that makes you think he won’t go out with a double bagel. The 35-year-old is in for an exciting match against Arthur Fils with the Frenchman looking quite poor on clay recently in the Golden Swing. He will need to bring out a stronger level to battle Sousa and the crowd here, but it seems like eventually youth should triumph over experience.
Prediction: Fils in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
