After a thrilling first day of play at the ATP Sydney International, Day 2 promises to deliver more exciting action; here are my predictions for the top four mens matches of Day 2.
John Millman vs Frances Tiafoe
The final match of the afternoon session on Ken Rosewall Arena promises to be the match of the day as up and coming star Frances Tiafoe faces a tough test in Australian John Millman. The pair have met once before, two years ago on the hard courts of Atlanta, with the Australian taking the win in a final set tiebreak. Both players have improved since then, especially on hard-courts with Tiafoe picking up the first ATP title of his career in Delray Beach last year and Millman reaching the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career at the US Open. This match promises to deliver high quality long rallies, however ultimately i believe the young American has more weapons to hurt Millman.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Alex de Minaur vs Reilly Opelka
The second match of the evening session pits two NextGen stars up against one another. This is the first meeting between the pair and both will be full of confidence, having recorded impressive victories in their opening matches, especially Opelka, who defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round. This match promises to produce high quality serving, and few long rallies. This could be a potential banana skin for the young Australian, however if he can return Opelka’s serve effectively and with the home crowd spurring him on, I expect him to pull through.
Prediction: de Minaur in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Andrey Rublev vs Lucas Pouille
The first match of the day on Show Court 1 features an intriguing clash between two exciting players. The pair met in Rotterdam last year with the young Russian taking the match in straight sets. Rublev had a good season on the hard-courts last year making the semifinals in Washington and the final of the ATP NextGen Finals in Milan. Pouille has had success on the hard-courts in the past, winning his fifth ATP title in Montpelier last year. This match will contain many high quality rallies; however, despite the large gap in the rankings I expect the young Russian to be more consistent.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Jeremy Chardy vs Andreas Seppi
The first match on Show Court 3 promises to be another close battle between two very evenly-matched players. With only one spot in the ATP Rankings seperating the players, and both previous meeting going to four sets and the head to head being one apiece, this is a very tough match to call. However, in terms of form it’s the Frenchman who will be feeling more confident heading into the match having recorded a brilliant win against Nick Kyrgios in Brisbane last week. This one should definitely go to a final set and based on current form I believe the experienced Frenchman will just have the edge.
Prediction: Chardy in three
Embed from Getty Images
