Day 2 at the ATP Queen’s is stacked with great matches throughout. The defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will be in action alongside the five-time winner, Andy Murray. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for Day 2. But who will advance to the second round?
ATP Queen’s Club Day 2 Predictions
Ugo Humbert vs Matteo Arnaldi
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Ugo Humbert has already won two titles this year, and now that his least favorite surface is behind him, he can focus on playing his best tennis again. Humbert’s game is dangerous on low-bouncing courts as his flat shots skip through the surface with pace. This will be the first appearance of Matteo Arnaldi at the Queen’s Club and only his second main draw match on grass. Arnaldi will benefit from his strong volleys and drop shots on the grass, but Humbert might be too strong for him at this stage.
Prediction: Humbert in 2
Taylor Fritz vs Taro Daniel
Head-to-Head: First Meeting
Taylor Fritz will be ecstatic with his performance on clay and, will hope to carry that confidence on grass. He has a title on grass and feels very comfortable on this surface. He has a good first-round match which will test him but not enough to be worried about. Taro Daniel came through qualifying and will play his first main draw match at the Queen’s Club. The Japanese player is yet to win a tour-level match on grass and I can’t see that happening against Fritz.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Tommy Paul vs Sebastian Baez
Head-to-Head: Paul 1-0 Baez
2024 has been the best year of Tommy Paul’s career so far and, he has plenty of time left to achieve a lot more. Paul’s aggressive game style suits the best on grass and if he can serve well, he will be tough to beat for anyone this week. Sebastian Baez lacks the necessary weapons to compete on grass against top players, as evidenced by his record on this surface. Baez lost in straight sets when these two met on grass last year and anything other than the same outcome will surprise me.
Prediction: Paul in 2
Andy Murray vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Andy Murray is the most successful player of this tournament and despite his horrible form coming into this match he will get an extra confidence boost when he steps into the court. But will that be enough for him to get the victory against a dangerous opponent? Alexei Popyrin did not drop a set in qualifying. Popyrin has a big serve and hits flat shots which should result in success on grass but that’s not the case. The Australian player has won just 4 of his 16 matches on this surface. Murray has been struggling on return since Miami but if he can return well he can win.
Prediction: Murray in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
