There should be plenty of entertaining action on day two at the ATP Bucharest Open with nine matches on the slate, including Stan Wawrinka vs Timofey Skatov and Luca Nardi vs Marton Fucsovics. As ever, we here at LWOT offer our predictions for all the matches on day two, but who do you think will advance?
ATP Bucharest Day 2 Predictions
Damir Dzumhur vs Valentin Vacherot
Head-to-head: first meeting
Damir Dzumhur demonstrated remarkable form on the ATP Challenger Tour last year, securing titles in Barletta, Ostrava, Zagreb, Istanbul, and Maia, which propelled him back into the top 100 rankings by the end of the year. He continued his resurgence this season by reaching the quarterfinals at the Chile Open and qualifying for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round.
While Vacherot, an all-around player who also did well on the Challenger circuit last year and even made his Grand Slam debut at the French Open, can be a tricky player, Dzumhur is the pick here with his tremendous agility and vast experience. It’s the Bosnian’s match to lose.
Prediction: Dzumhur in 3
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Gabriel Diallo vs Tseng Chun Hsin
Head-to-head: first meeting
Both players are coming off solid performances in Miami, with each making it through the qualifiers before being eliminated in the round of 64. Gabriel Diallo did have to retire during his second-match against Arthur Fils, despite having a lead in the second set after narrowly losing the first. He will be hoping to have made a full recovery.
On the other hand, Tseng Chun-Hsin won against Mattia Bellucci in the first round but was defeated in a hard-fought three-set match against two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. The following week, he participated in a clay court Challenger event in Napoli, where he was eliminated in the round of 16 by Dalibor Svrcina.
This will be the Canadian player’s first clay-court tournament, which may give an advantage to Tseng, who has already competed in three clay court events this year, achieving his highest result with a quarterfinal showing at the Rio Open against Sebastian Baez, who ultimately won the tournament. Although Diallo holds a higher ranking, the two have never met before, and it is expected to be a closely contested match. However, with more matches under his belt on clay this season, Tseng should edge this.
Prediction: Tseng in 3
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Roberto Bautista Agut vs Bu Yunchaokete
Head-to-head: first meeting
Once, Roberto Bautista Agut would have been a significant favourite heading into this encounter, but his recent lack of form and confidence has seen him win just once in his last ten matches with age having seemingly caught up with the Spaniard. Conversely, Bu Yunchaokete brings momentum and confidence from his recent successes, demonstrating his capability to challenge higher-ranked opponents. Considering the current trajectories of both players, Bu should win this.
Prediction: Bu in 2
Main photo credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
