After another thrilling day of action at the ATP Sydney International, Day 2 sees the top seeds in action. Here are my predictions for the top four matches of the day.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Guido Andreozzi
The #1 seed this week finally gets his campaign started against a relatively unknown opponent in Argentinian lucky loser Guido Andreozzi. The young Greek set the tennis world alight last season with his impressive results on hard courts, most notably beating Novak Djokovic on route to the first Masters 1000 final of his career in Toronto and lifting the ATP NextGen Finals in Milan. Many expect Tsitsipas to continue his rapid progression up the rankings and with his game perfectly tailored to hard courts, with his big serve and forehand and he should be the strong favourite for this match. However, its unfair to completely write off Andreozzi and with it being the first tour match of the season, Tsitsipas could be rusty. However I expect a routine win the NextGen Star.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
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Gilles Simon vs Sam Querrey
This match between two experienced players on the tour has the potential to be one of the matches of the week, with two different styles of play on display. The tall American will look to use his big serve and aggressive style of play to finish points off quickly, whereas the Frenchman will look to use his passive style of play to get into long rallies and force errors from his opponent, taking the pace off the ball. Both are strong players on hard courts and I expect a close encounter, with the American pulling through in a tight three setter.
Prediction: Querrey in 3
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Marton Fucsovics vs John Millman
Both players will be confident heading into this match following strong starts to the season. The Hungarian played sublime tennis to take a set off Novak Djokovic last week in Doha and is the 7th seed for this tournament following a strong season last year that saw him lift his first ATP title last year on the clay in Geneva. John Millman recorded an impressive victory over NextGen American Frances Tiafoe this week and is continuing his strong form on hard-courts. Expect plenty of big forehands and long rallies in this match, and I expect Fucsovics squeeze through in three tight sets.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 3
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Andreas Seppi vs Martin Klizan
This promises to be another tight match as both players have similar styles of play, possessing big serves and forehands. Seppi recorded an impressive victory over Jeremy Chardy yesterday and will be feeling confident about his game. Kilzan, however is a very underrated player who can produce unbelievable attacking tennis and has the power to hit through anyone on his day. The Slovak has been effective on hard-courts during his career, winning the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam in 2016. Grueling rallies are to be expected in this match and its a tough match to call. However, if he’s on his game, I expect the Slovak to get the job done in straight sets.
Prediction: Kilzan in 2
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