Time to kick off the grass court season! One of the events we’re used to this time of the year is the ATP Libema Open in Den Bosch, Netherlands. The tennis here will be less physical than on clay with plenty of focus on net play and shots that you have to hit from below waist-point. Five men’s singles main draw matches have been scheduled for Monday, who do you think will prevail?
ATP Den Bosch Day 1 Predictions
Gabriel Diallo vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: Vukic 1-0
Gabriel Diallo delivered one of the upsets of the tournament in the opening round of Roland Garros by eliminating Francisco Cerundolo. Surely that can’t be a bad omen ahead of the grass season as these courts should suit his big game really well. Meanwhile, Aleksandar Vukic has been losing almost nonstop since the end of January. While he was a bit unlucky to run into Otto Virtanen right away in Birmingham last week, confidence should be firmly on Diallo’s side here.
Prediction: Diallo in 2
Luciano Darderi vs Nicolas Jarry
Head-to-head: First meeting
Assessing Nicolas Jarry’s chances on a grass court is tricky. The Chilean has that monster serve and obviously doesn’t shy away from blasting the ball, but the low contact point is very uncomfortable for him. Adrian Mannarino exposed that so well in Birmingham last week, but Luciano Darderi doesn’t hit a ball this flat (in fact as a clay-court specialist, he’ll likely play with way too much topspin). As such, perhaps a slight edge to Jarry feels fair.
Prediction: Jarry in 3
Nuno Borges vs Nishesh Basavareddy
Head-to-head: First meeting
Nishesh Basavareddy didn’t have the greatest time during his first European clay season, often getting overwhelmed physically. Grass feels like a surface that could suit him better. The drop shots and attacking options from clay will still be open to him without the opponents having that much time to grind him down. With Nuno Borges not being a grass-court master by any means, maybe Basavareddy could start this part of the year on a high.
Prediction: Basavareddy in 3
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Mattia Bellucci
Head-to-head: First meeting
Mattia Bellucci already kicked off his grass season in Birmingham last week and while he didn’t last long in the event (lost in the opening round to Martin Landaluce); surely that can’t hurt his chances here. With how varied the Italian’s game is, he seems to have a decent shot at outmaneuvering Botic van de Zandschulp. Whatever happens, he has to believe in the plan and keep his opponent out of his comfort zone. His forehand slice should work wonders on grass, along with the tricky, lefty serve.
Prediction: Bellucci in 3
Jordan Thompson vs Aleksandar Kovacevic
Head-to-head: Thompson 2-1
Jordan Thompson loves grass and when he faced Aleksandar Kovacevic in Newport two years ago, he only dropped one game. Surely it will be closer this time, but it’s not like the American has improved on the surface a ton since. The tennis Thompson plays here can be so tricky with the mix of huge first serves and smart grinding with low-skidding slices. He knows how to keep Kovacevic on his toes and should probably get this one again.
Prediction: Thompson in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
