Things are getting more intense at the ATP Chile Open in Santiago, as eight singles matches are scheduled on Tuesday. While seeing the names of four different Argentinians on the order of play is an average day at the office during the Golden Swing, the fact four Slovakians are set to play is a rare occurrence. Anyway, let’s get down to business and start analyzing matchups. We predict four matches in this article, and four in another article.
ATP Santiago Tuesday Predictions
Thiago Monteiro vs Leonardo Mayer
Official head to head: first meeting
Unofficial head to head: Monteiro 1-1 Mayer
Mayer is currently a train going downhill with malfunctioning brakes. The Argentinian is 1-6 on the season, with the lone win coming against No. 929 Rhett Purcell in three sets. In fact, he hasn’t won a Tour-level main draw match since July. Let that sink in. Meanwhile, Monteiro is known for his pronounced peaks and valleys. The Brazilian possesses one of the most electrifying forehands on tour, but he is quite unreliable. One day he’ll beat Borna Coric or Guido Pella only to fall short against Pedro Sousa or Attila Balazs. There is no middle ground.
Prediction: Monteiro in 2
Federico Coria vs Juan Ignacio Londero
Official head to head: first meeting
Unofficial head to head: Londero 3-0 Coria
These two late bloomers were overshadowed as juniors by a bunch of fellow Argentinian stars such as Agustín Velotti, Andrea Collarini, or Facundo Argüello. Yet, Londero and Coria have made it to the main tour, while the aforementioned pros are still awaiting a breakout year. Even though Coria is coming off of a career week in Rio, Londero should be favored if he ever managed to leave behind his Buenos Aires semifinal collapse. After squeezing two narrow wins over Coria in 2012 and 2016, El Topo won their 2018 affair in Banja Luka rather convincingly (6-4 6-2).
Prediction: Londero in 3
Federico Delbonis vs Martin Klizan
Official head to head: Klizan 3-2 Delbonis
Unofficial head to head: Klizan 5-2 Delbonis
Who else is excited about this battle of southpaws? While neither is particularly close to his best level at the moment, this is a semifinal caliber match at a discount rate. Four out of Klizan’s six career titles have come on dirt, where he boasts wins over the likes of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem or Kei Nishikori. While Delbonis’ career is slightly inferior overall, he also lifted two trophies on clay. Delbonis’ list of notable victories includes Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, two weeks before the latter won Roland Garros in 2015.
I trust Delbonis more often than I trust Klizan, but the Slovakian owns an extra gear whenever he is locked in. He is due a big result and this watered down Chile Open seems like an ideal opportunity to shine. Prior to this clash, these two have played each other five times on clay, with Klizan emerging victorious in four.
Prediction: Klizan in 2
Paolo Lorenzi vs Alejandro Tabilo
Head to head: first meeting
At 38 years of age, Lorenzi plays one of the heaviest schedules on tour to keep his ranking afloat. For a player who has built most of his résumé on clay, it’s really odd Santiago is his first stop in South America this year, having elected to play Pune, New York and Delray Beach instead. On the other side of the net, Tabilo’s story is fascinating. The Toronto-born Chilean, who was sitting outside the Top 500 at this point last year, has come down to Earth after picking up four wins at the Australian Open (qualifying included). The 22-year-old has won three out of six challenger matches since his solid performance Down Under. I expect the home crowd to rally behind the left-handed wild card and push him to a win over the veteran Italian.
Prediction: Tabilo in 3
Main Photo:
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