As third-round action begins at the ATP Washington Open, the matches get more exciting and closer on paper. Two of the top eight seeds have already been eliminated, and the rest need to be on their toes. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for day 4. But who will advance to the quarterfinals?
ATP Washington Day 4 Predictions
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Jordan Thompson
Head-to-Head: Perricard 0-1 Thompson
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard needed two tiebreaks to win against Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round. This was his second win over Ruusuvuori in his last three matches. Perricard is slowly becoming a dangerous player on tour. His serve is a deadly weapon, and there is still room for improvement in other aspects of his game. Jordan Thompson continued his good form as he easily beat Reilly Opelka in the second round. He broke the big serve of Opelka four times and that would give him confidence against the serve of Perricard. Thompson won the last time these two met, and I expect him to do so again.
Prediction: Thompson in 3
Denis Shapovalov vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-Head: Shapovalov 3-0 Kecmanovic
Denis Shapovalov faced no problems beating the out-of-form Adrian Mannarino in straight sets. Shapovalov served well and kept the double faults at the minimum. He has the chance to reach the quarterfinals for the first time at the Washington Open. Miomir Kecmanovic was equally impressive against J.J. Wolf and improved drastically from his last week’s performance in Atlanta. Kecmanovic has had a highly unpredictable season, and despite his evident talent, his consistency can’t be trusted currently. Shapovalov has won all three matches when these two have met on hard courts and I can’t see Kecmanovic turning it around.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Ben Shelton vs Brandon Nakashima
Head-to-Head: Shelton 1-0 Nakashima
Ben Shelton was on track for a straight sets victory over Radu Albot, but he lost concentration and made things difficult for himself. He gave away the lead multiple times in the second set, and Albot made him pay. Shelton will need to improve against a tougher opponent, such as Brandon Nakashima, who dominated his second-round opponent. Nakashima was fantastic with his serve and hit some great strokes. The aggressive game style of Nakashima can hurt the #2 seed. When these two last met, Shelton won in a close match but Nakashima has the edge here.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Aleksandar Kovacevic
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Frances Tiafoe came back from down a set to beat Daniel Elahi Galan in the second round. Galan was serving lights out, and it took Tiafoe some time to adjust to it. He showed more patience from the baseline in the last two sets and was more selective about his net approaches. Not a convincing performance from him but he will take this win big time. Aleksandar Kovacevic has got two big wins this week and his serve is helping him a lot to win cheap points. He can frustrate Tiafoe with his consistency, but the match will be decided by Tiafoe’s level. If Tiafoe plays a good match he has the edge.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
