Defending champion Martin Klizan lost in the first round of the Generali Open Kitzbuhel on Monday. However, the tournament is not lacking for options in its player strength. Tuesday’s matches only prove this point further, featuring multiple well-known top-level players. Who will advance on Tuesday? Here are our thoughts.
ATP Kitzbuhel Day 2 Predictions
Pablo Andujar vs Leonardo Mayer
Andujar is fresh off a semifinal finish at the Swiss Open in Gstaad last week but his season has been otherwise dreary, with a win-to-loss record of 7-10. In Mayer, he finds someone who is sailing in the same boat of inconsistent results. The Argentine lost in the opening round of the Hamburg Open last week, where he was the defending finalist.
Mayer narrowly leads the head-to-head between the two 3-2 with his last win against the Spaniard coming at the Umag Open a couple of weeks ago. But with brimming confidence after his run in Gstaad, Andujar does have a chance of leveling his head-to-head against Mayer although it would be easier said than done.
Prediction: Mayer in 3
Marton Fucsovics vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
The Spaniard, champion in Gstaad last week, is a special entrant in Kitzbuhel this week. Against the fifth seed Hungarian he has been given a rough opener.
Fucsovics faltered early in Hamburg last week, exiting in the pre-quarter-finals to Fabio Fognini. But Ramos-Vinolas is not only a familiar opponent for him but also one against whom he has a 2-0 win-to-loss record. Of their two previous meetings, only one was on clay – at the 2018 Geneva Open – but despite Ramos-Vinolas’ ease on the surface, his opponent winning 6-1, 6-2 summed up the one-sidedness of that encounter.
While one could say that Tuesday’s face-off will not be as one-sided as that match, the emotional highs after his week – not to forget the physical exertion – will have taken a toll on the 31-year-old Barcelona native making it tougher for him than usual.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 2
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Casper Ruud
This will be the second meeting between these two players with Carreno Busta winning their previous encounter. However, that was two years ago in Rio, making this a first-time meeting of sorts.
The 20-year-old Norwegian has compiled a hefty win-to-loss ratio this season of 14-9 as compared to his opponent’s slightly weaker 11-12. And although both met with similar fates – losing to Andrey Rublev at the Hamburg Open – Carreno Busta’s tactical wherewithal should be enough to help him outlast his aggressive opponent.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 2
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Richard Gasquet
Among those starting off their campaign in the 2019 edition of the tournament is the two-time former champion Kohlschreiber (2014 and 2017) against Gasquet. Neither Kohlschreiber nor Gasquet have had much to talk about this year, with the German’s form in a slump and the latter still on the recovery road after an injury-related hiatus from the Tour.
Of the two though, Gasquet has fared marginally better – reaching the second round in two of his last four events – which puts him as the slight favourite going into this match. Kohlschreiber losing in the first round of his last four events, accounting for a 17-17 win-to-loss this season, also puts him on a disadvantage mentally.
This will be the fifth meeting between the two but the first in almost five years. At their last meeting at the 2014 ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam, Kohlschreiber won. Could the German effectuate another turnaround on the day? It looks tough, to say the least.
Prediction: Gasquet in 2
Main Photo:
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Disagree with our ATP Kitzbuhel predictions? Leave your own thoughts on Day 2 of ATP Kitzbuhel in the comments.
