The Hall Of Fame Open in Newport is the only grass court tournament played outside Europe. Over the years, Americans have dominated this tournament. The defending champion, Adrian Mannarino, will look to find some form. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for Day 1. But who will advance?
ATP Newport Day 1 Predictions
Radu Albot vs Maxime Cressy
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Radu Albot did well to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon but he was unlucky to draw Hubert Hurkacz in the first round. Grass is not the best surface for Albot and he finds himself against a tough opponent in the first round. Maxime Cressy could not qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon but he is a former Hall Of Fame Open champion and will fancy his chances to go deep this week. Grass is Cressy’s favorite surface and with his big serves, he should win his first main draw match of the year.
Prediction: Cressy in 3
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Harold Mayot
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Aleksandar Kovacevic has displayed some good tennis at times this year but hasn’t been able to convert them into wins. He is on a six-match losing streak and desperately needs a win. Kovacevic has never won a main draw match on grass and has a chance to do that if he plays well. Harold Mayot has slightly more experience on grass but his qualifier match at Wimbledon is something he would want to forget. This is a very close match to predict, but I will go with the home player.
Prediction: Kovacevic in 3
Benoit Paire vs Zachary Svajda
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Benoit Paire has won only one main draw match this year and is struggling on the Challenger Tour as well. He is hardly playing any ATP events and when he does it’s hard to say how motivated he is to win matches. Zachary Svajda will play his first main draw match on grass but he has some impressive wins behind him on the Challenger level. Svajda will take this match more seriously than Paire and that should be enough for the win.
Prediction: Svajda in 2
Aleksandar Vukic vs Coleman Wong
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Aleksandar Vukic is the sixth seed this week and has been playing great tennis recently. Reaching the semifinals in Eastbourne and the quarterfinals in Den Bosch will give him lots of confidence. He will fancy his chances for a shot at the title this week. Coleman Wong is a 20-year-old player from Hong Kong with a big serve and his game suits on grass. Vukic is the much more experienced and in-form player and at the moment, I can’t see Wong troubling him too much.
Prediction: Vukic in 2
Reilly Opelka vs Constant Lestienne
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Reilly Opelka is back on a tennis court after eight months and this will be his first ATP tournament since August 2022. This will be the first time Opelka will be playing at the Hall of Fame Open and it will be interesting to see how he fares up after a long break. Constant Lestienne has won only one match on grass in his main draw career and creating chances against the massive serves of Opelka would be a huge challenge for him. It’s hard to know how Opelka will play but for now, Lestienne is the safer option as he has been active and has matches under his belt.
Prediction: Lestienne in 3
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
