Juncheng Shang played his first match since the Australian Open in Toronto last week and will look to keep rebuilding his form and confidence at the ATP Cincinnati Masters, facing Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round. Qualifier Colton Smith takes on Fabian Marozsan, while Matteo Arnaldi tries to follow up a performance in Canada against Benjamin Bonzi. Who do you think will advance to the second round?
ATP Cincinnati Day 1 Predictions
Benjamin Bonzi vs Matteo Arnaldi
Head-to-head: First meeting
When Benjamin Bonzi won 14 Challenger matches in a row at the end of last year and then his first ATP Tour title in Metz, it was easy to have high expectations for his next campaign as well. But the Frenchman has mostly struggled to keep it up, even despite a wonderful win over Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon. Matteo Arnaldi is very inconsistent and that’s the main option Bonzi will have to win here. It’s not going to be easy, though, as the Italian typically knows what to do in matchups that are more about defensive scrambling.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 2
Daniel Elahi Galan vs Vit Kopriva
Head-to-head: 1-1
Two players who don’t necessarily love playing on hard courts, but are capable of delivering a strong performance on the surface here or there. Daniel Elahi Galan had a pretty nice draw to qualify (especially with Alexander Shevchenko forced to retire) and the wins could grant him a bit of momentum. Would that be enough to defeat Vit Kopriva? Perhaps and the Colombian has the more conventional weaponry for these conditions, which could help him dominate on serve especially.
Prediction: Galan in 3
Colton Smith vs Fabian Marozsan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Fabian Marozsan usually thrives on the ATP 1000 stage and defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime last week before taking a set off Fabio Cobolli. The Hungarian’s erratic, high-risk game makes him an extremely dangerous underdog, but not necessarily the strongest favorite. Against Colton Smith, this will be a real showdown and a tussle to establish control over the match. One of them will be executing better on the day and it’s extremely tough to see which one it will be, especially with Smith potentially playing better with the home crowd behind him.
Prediction: Marozsan in 3
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Juncheng Shang
Head-to-head: Shang 2-0
Juncheng Shang was out with an injury for half a year, only returning in Toronto with a two-set loss to James Duckworth. The 20-year-old’s fitness is one of the main issues holding him back and we’ll have to see how long it takes for him to hit top form again. Tomas Martin Etcheverry hasn’t had a great year, but he’s delivered a few highlights and getting two wins in Canada was one of them. The rhythm gathered there probably makes him the favorite over Shang for now, but the Chinese is usually the stronger hard-court player.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
