There should be no shortage of entertaining action on day two at the Swiss Indoors in Basel with three of the top ten in action and we here at LWOT are offering predictions for all seven singles matches. But who will advance to the second round in Switzerland?
Swiss Indoors Day 2 Predictions
Cristian Garin vs Reilly Opelka
Head-to-head: Garin 1-0 Opelka
Two players who are only separated by one spot in the rankings and with plenty to play for in the remaining two weeks of the regular ATP season will meet when Cristian Garin takes on Reilly Opelka. The Chilean Garin, ranked 38th in the world, is looking to end a breakout campaign, which saw him win two tour-level titles on the clay in Houston and Munich, on a high. Opelka, meanwhile, sits at a career-high world #37 after a similarly impressive season which yielded a maiden title at the New York Open.
At this time last year, the big-serving American was winning Challenger titles in Knoxville and Champaign, which took him to inside the Top 100. He has since made a remarkable transition to become a force on the main tour in a short space of time. He could even crack the top 30 with a deep run this week. Garin won the pair’s only meeting at the French Open this year, but clay is far from Opelka’s strongest surface. On the quick courts at the Swiss Indoors, expect his serve to help him avenge that loss.
Prediction: Opelka in 2
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Alexei Popyrin vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: first meeting
Fabio Fognini’s slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals could be extinguished when he faces Next Gen Finals hopeful Alexei Popyrin. Fognini suffered a shocking 1-6 1-6 defeat to the Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, who was playing the final tournament of his professional career, in the second-round at the Stockholm Open last week to put his London chances in serious jeopardy. The Italian reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Beijing and Shanghai and remains a force on the hard courts when he wants to be.
But that rout at the hands of Tipsarevic suggested he has already mentally checked out this season. Popyrin, meanwhile, has had a fine year, reaching the third round at both his home Slam at Melbourne Park and the US Open. He has also successfully qualified for 11 tour-level tournaments in 2019, including the Swiss Indoors after he beat Joao Sousa and Thai-son Kwiatkowski to reach the main draw. The conditions should favour his big game and Fognini does not look in the right frame of mind to resist him.
Prediction: Popyrin in 2
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Richard Gasquet vs Juan Ignacio Londero
Head-to-head: Londero 2-0 Gasquet
Richard Gasquet’s power have visibly waned over the past two years, in large part due to a succession of injury problems. But it should not be overlooked that the Frenchman has scored 537 wins at tour-level over the course of his professional career. Juan Ignacio Londero, meanwhile, has played some fine tennis this year, winning the Cordoba Open and reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros. But although he has enjoyed some success on hard courts, he is far more comfortable on the clay, where he has twice beaten the Frenchman this year. But Gasquet thrives in the sort of quick conditions to be found in Basel and has played some of the best tennis of his career on indoor hard courts. If he can bring his backhand into play regularly, he should be able to get the better of the Argentine.
Prediction: Gasquet in 3
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Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-head: Zverev 2-0 Fritz
Alexander Zverev is next in line to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals – the scene of his greatest triumph. The young German has left it late to punch his ticket to London, but he has been a rejuvenated man since winning the decisive match at the Laver Cup in September. During the Asian swing, he reached the last four at the China Open in Beijing before storming into the Shanghai Masters final, although he was well-beaten there by US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev reached the semifinals in Basel last year, but he will need to better that result and win the tournament this week to confirm his spot at the season-ending championships. His opener against Taylor Fritz should not be a major obstacle. The 21-year-old American, after a great start to the summer in North America which saw him reach finals in Atlanta and Los Cabos, has lost his way and he has won just one match since.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
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