There should be plenty of entertaining action on day four at the ATP Hamburg Open with a number of the world’s best set to take to the courts in northern Germany. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Andrey Rublev vs Justin Engel. But who will advance?
ATP Hamburg Day 4 Predictions
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Flavio Cobolli
Head-to-head: Cobolli 2-1 Davidovich Fokina
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be looking for his first win on tour against Flavio Cobolli in the round of 16, having benefited from a retirement in 2021 during a Rome qualifier. The Spaniard comfortably defeated Gael Monfils in straight sets, paving the way for a third meeting with the Italian, who made a strong comeback to eliminate lucky loser Vitaliy Sachko 5-7 6-2 6-2.
Cobolli has triumphed over Fokina in both encounters on hard courts last year, but the fifth seed is playing the better tennis now. The surface will likely play a crucial role in the Spaniard’s chances, especially considering his preference for clay, but Cobolli is also quite skilled on this surface and recently claimed a title in Bucharest.
This match is difficult to call and will likely depend on which player finds their rhythm on the day, potentially going down to the wire.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3
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Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli
Head-to-head: Etcheverry 3-2 Carabelli
Tomas Martin Etcheverry secured only his third tour victory during the clay circuit with a notable win over Francisco Comesana in his Hamburg opener
The 55th-ranked player was not in top form heading into his match against his fellow Argentine but showed resilience to win in straight sets. The consequence is another match, another compatriot, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, who defeated another Argentine, Sebastian Baez, in three sets.
This will be their first meeting on tour, although they have faced each other several times at lower levels. They are separated by three ranking spots, making it a challenging prediction. This promises to be a slugfest on German dirt between two players who know themselves well, but we will lean towards the Argentine in better form to edge a gritty victory.
Prediction: Carabelli in 3
Brandon Nakashima vs Luciano Darderi
Head-to-head: first meeting
Brandon Nakashima will be the fresher of the two players as they face each other for the first time in this round of 16 match in Hamburg.
The seventh seed was ahead when qualifier Raphael Collignon withdrew from their first-round match. Darderi, who achieved an impressive 90% success rate on his first serve in a commanding 6-1 6-4 victory over German talent Diego Dedura, is a bigger challenge. While Nakashima is the higher-ranked player, the Italian rightly enters this encounter as the favourite considering his pedigree on clay and should find a way to navigate a win.
Prediction: Darderi in 3
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Alexander Zverev vs Alexandre Muller
Head-to-head: Zverev 2-0 Muller
Top seed, Alexander Zverev advanced to the round of 16 with a straightforward 6-1 7-6 victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic. That win set up a meeting with Alexandre Muller for the third time in his career and the second time this year. Zverev has won both of their past encounters without losing a set, including a convincing 6-4 6-1 win in similar conditions in Munich earlier in the Spring.
Muller is having a strong season overall and showed his qualities by defeating qualifier Elias Ymer 6-3 7-5 in the opener. But facing the big-serving German in front of his home crowd is a challenge of a different order of magnitude. Expect it to prove a bridge too far for the Frenchman.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
Main photo credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
