The ATP Tour returned to American soil when Marcos Giron won the Newport title on Sunday. This week, the action heads south to Atlanta, Georgia, for the 250-level ATP Atlanta Open. Although many top players are in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, Atlanta still features an intriguing field with many top 50 players. Action kicks off on Monday with three main draw matches, including Denis Shapovalov vs David Goffin. As always, we at LWOT have the preview and prediction for the day’s action. But who will advance to the second round?
ATP Atlanta Day 1 Predictions
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Arthur Cazaux
Head-to-Head: first meeting
No. 5 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina comes to Atlanta looking to get back on track after an up-and-down first seven months of his season. Last August, he was nearing the top 20. The 25-year-old Spaniard is currently No. 41 in the world and has not won back-to-back matches since February. Luckily for Davidovich Fokina, his opponent, Arthur Cazaux, has struggled even more than he has this season. The 21-year-old Frenchman is 2-10 dating back to early March. Davidovich Fokina has too many weapons to lose this match.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 2
Yoshihito Nishioka vs Zachary Svajda
Head-to-Head: first meeting
American Zachary Svajda is into the ATP Atlanta after battling through two qualifying rounds. The 21-year-old holds a career-high ranking of World No. 113 and has shown signs of top-50 potential this season. It was a tough start to the season for Yoshihito Nishioka, holding a 7-15 record from early February to late May. Since then, he is 6-3 with three top 100 wins. Svajda will have the backing of the home crowd, but Nishioka is tough to play against on hard courts.
Prediction: Nishioka in 3
Denis Shapovalov vs David Goffin
Head-to-Head: 1-1
Denis Shapovalov and David Goffin split their previous two meetings, though this will be their first matchup in nearly four years. The 33-year-old Goffin refuses to go away, winning last month’s Ilkley Challenger event. Shapovalov, a former World No. 10, has shown recent flashes of his top form. The 25-year-old Canadian has two top 30 wins over the past two months and pushed Ben Shelton to five sets at Wimbledon. I believe Shapovalov is a sneaky contender at ATP Atlanta.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
