As was the case last year, this week’s ATP 250 event in Los Cabos doesn’t feature a particularly strong field, what with two Masters 1000 and the US Open coming up right next. It still has consistently produced some very good matchs on a fast surface and this Tuesday should be no exception, with some very interesting matchups in prospect.
ATP Los Cabos Day 2 Predictions
Aidan Mayo vs James Duckworth
Head-to-head: first meeting
The massive gap in ranking (#689 vs #83) definitely doesn’t reflect the gap in level between the two players or their possibilities to win this match, but it is nonetheless clear that Duckworth is the better player of the two and should have the edge in normal conditions, even if Mayo played some very solid tennis to make it through qualifying.
Prediction: Duckworth in 2
Jenson Brooksby vs Corentin Moutet
Head-to-head: Moutet 1-0 Brooksby
Brooksby is still looking to get back to his best and climb up the rankings and after getting many tough draws this year this tournament in Los Cabos would seem like a great opportunity to gain some momentum. He has a very tricky first round against Moutet though, it’s a very difficult match to call and should be extremely tight and decided by a few key points.
Prediction: Brooksby in 3
Dalibor Svrcina vs Adam Walton
Head-to-head: first meeting
Walton had the best ATP run of his career last year at this event, making it all the way to the semifinals and losing to the eventual champion Denis Shapovalov. He will obviously aiming for another deep run this year and looking at his draw and how well he played on this court last year he might well just be able to have another run.
Prediction: Walton in 3
Denis Shapovalov vs Rinky Hijikata
Head-to-head: Shapovalov 1-0 Hijikata
Shapovalov had arguably the best week of his career last year in Los Cabos, winning the tournament while dropping no sets and only 18 games all week. If he can replicate anywhere close to that level he should be able to win the event again but the reality is that he remains an extremely inconsistent player and you never know what you are going to get with him. You would expect him to beat Hijikata, but he could just as easily blast himself out of the tournament with a flurry of unforced errors.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 2
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
