While a good portion of the ATP Tour is re-tuning their clay game in advance of the Olympics, grass connoisseurs have packed their racquets and decamped to Newport. Read on for Newport Day Four predictions at one of the most storied venues in the sport and the site of last grass tournament of the season.
ATP Newport Day 4 Predictions
Billy Harris vs Mackenzie McDonald
head-to-head: first meeting
Brit Billy Harris is coming off of impressive runs at Queen’s Club and Eastbourne, and will be looking to continue that streak of form here. He takes on world no. 99, the American Mackenzie McDonald, who has also been able to string together patches of good play on the grass, though not as recently as Harris. It should be a decent tussle.
Prediction: Harris in 3
Alex Michelsen vs Maxime Cressy
head-to-head: Michelsen 1 – 1 Cressy
This all-American clash is a re-match from 2023, when teenager Michelson–on the upsurge–bounced the decade-older Cressy in the Round of 32. Cressy, who favors the serve-and-volley style on grass, will have his work cut out for him with Michelson on the other side of the net. While the two have had middling results on the grass this season, Michelsen comes in a bit more match tough and will draw confidence from last year’s encounter.
Prediction: Michelsen in 3
Marcos Giron vs Benoit Paire
head-to-head: first meeting
Benoit Paire has been struggling over the last two years to get a toe-hold and find a way back to something approximating the form that saw him rise to no. 18 in the world in 2016. At the tail-end of his career he’s ranked no. 227 and still gutting it out–and was pushed to the brink to make it out of the first round. He’ll have his work cut out for him with Marcos Giron across the net (though it’s a bit odd to see him there, considering he’s due to play on clay in Paris less than two weeks from now). This will be their first career meeting.
Prediction: Giron in 2
Reilly Opelka vs Adrian Mannarino
head-to-head: Opelka 3 – O Mannarino
Opelka’s opening round win here marked his first Tour-level matched completed since July 2022, when the former world no. 17 was sidelined with a wrist injury that required surgery. As expected, he showed a bit of rust in his opening match, but also flashes of big-serving brilliance to seal win. In Mannarino, Opelka faces a formidable opponent, who is not only the defending champion and a tour veteran, but in possession of the skills and temperament to wear down even the fittest opponent. However, he’s been in a bit of slump as of late and if Opelka can shake any fatigue from his opening match, he has the game to bully his way to a win. He also leads the H2H 3-0.
Prediction: Opelka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Romance/Palm Beach Post/USAToday Network
