Day 2 at the ATP Delray Beach Open kicks off with top seed Nick Kyrgios taking on young American talent Tommy Paul. Will the hot-headed Australian keep his cool and find a way through? We also have predictions for the other five matches on Tuesday.
ATP Delray Beach Day 2 Predictions
Reilly Opelka vs Ernests Gulbis
Head-to-head: First meeting
Ernests Gulbis has had a slight revival of his career. The Latvian had a good Australian Open by reaching the third round from qualifying and defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round.
Opelka, 22, has surprisingly struggled with form this season. The American lost in the first round in both Adelaide and Melbourne before getting his first win in New York last week. He is currently on a 1-2 win/loss deficit this season.
A potential upset could be on the cards here considering the contrast in forms between the players.
Prediction: Gulbis in 3
Kyle Edmund vs Ugo Humbert
Head-to-head: Edmund leads 1-0
Has Kyle Edmund regained some of his best form? The Brit captured the second title of his career last week by beating Andreas Seppi in the New York Open final. But how much energy does he have left in the tank to play Ugo Humbert, who won his maiden title in Auckland last month?
It could be a close battle between the pair. But how Edmund is physically will be a big question mark.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Radu Albot vs Jack Sock
Head-to-head: Sock leads 1-0
“How the mighty have fallen” is the perfect idiom for Jack Sock. The former World No. 8 and Paris Masters champion is now unranked in the ATP Rankings and is yet to win a singles match this year.
However, a sign of concern for the Albot camp will be that the Moldovan has pulled out of the three consecutive events due to injury (Auckland, Melbourne, and Rotterdam). It is not yet known the actual severity of his injury, and whether if it is still affecting him. But if Albot is fully fit and healthy, expect the Moldovan to win comfortably.
Prediction: Albot in 2
Taylor Fritz vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: Fritz leads 2-1
Both players have been so inconsistent with their results so far this season. Fritz, 22, lost two of three matches at the ATP Cup in January, this was then followed by a first-round exit in Adelaide to Alexander Bublik. His most recent tournament was an ATP Challenger event where he was dumped out in the second round to world no. 164 Mitchell Krueger.
The same could be said for Cameron Norrie. The Brit lost in the first round in both Auckland and Melbourne before opting to play the qualifying tournament here at Delray Beach to gain some momentum.
It should be a close match as they have similar styles of play. But Fritz could have an upper edge with both head-to-head advantage and a home crowd advantage.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Nick Kyrgios vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-head: First meeting
This will be Kyrgios’ first match back since the Australian Open. The Australian was originally scheduled to play the New York Open, but withdrew last minute due to a shoulder injury. Assuming he is now fit and ready, it will be interesting how he has carried the positive momentum he had in Melbourne last month.
Everyone has said this has been a much ‘matured’ Kyrgios. But first, let’s which Kyrgios will turn up in the match. It should be a good match considering Paul had a fair start to his season, but expecting Kyrgios to pull through.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
