Jannik Sinner suffered just his second hard-court loss of the season when he lost to Andrey Rublev in the Montreal quarterfinals. In the ATP Cincinnati Masters, he’ll be hoping to kickstart his campaign against the NextGen American Alex Michelsen. Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Cincinnati Day 3 Predictions
Sebastian Baez vs Jordan Thompson
Head-to-head: Baez 1-0
Sebastian Baez surprisingly took down Jordan Thompson on grass two years ago, despite the Australian’s knack for playing on that surface. His opponent is all about the clay with only some occasional wins on other courts in the meantime. Thompson has made a lot of progress since then and can grind his way through matches in quicker conditions. Even after that previous head-to-head result between them, the favorite here is pretty clear.
Prediction: Thompson in 2
Gael Monfils vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s a pretty brutal turnaround for Alexei Popyrin, playing his opening round here just two days after claiming the biggest title of his career at the ATP 1000 Montreal. That trophy came out of nowhere with the Australian’s form not trending in the positive direction of late. Gael Monfils has been much weaker than in 2023 as well, but he seems to like faster courts at this stage of his career and maybe this is a perfect chance for him to grab an important win. Popyrin will not be as fresh as a daisy.
Prediction: Monfils in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Alex Michelsen
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jannik Sinner keeps getting held back by his fitness issues and you could probably argue all his losses this year have had that component, at least to some extent. His match against Andrey Rublev in Montreal definitely had him struggling with that right hip again. If he can sort that out relatively quickly, he should still take this one as he’s been practically unbeatable again. There’s not all that much Alex Michelsen can hurt him with and he’ll need to pray Sinner won’t be 100%.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
