Day 2 at the 2021 ATP Delray Beach Open features the remaining 1st round matches in the main draw. Here are my predictions for four of the seven matches taking place on day 2, with predictions for the remaining matches in a separate article.
ATP Delray Beach Day 2 Predictions
Ivo Karlovic vs Pablo Andujar
The pair has met on the ATP Tour once before, at the 2019 Miami Masters, with the Spaniard winning in two tight sets. Andujar spent the majority of last season playing on the clay, with his best results a last 16 in Cordoba and Rio. It was a relatively quiet season for Ivo Karlovic. After winning his first round match against Vasek Pospisil at the Australian Open, he did not win another tour match all year. The Croatian is now 41; however, his serve is still the biggest in the game. So he will always be in contention in hard court matches, especially over the best-of-three set format. I think this one will go the distance.
Prediction: Andujar in 3
Cameron Norrie vs JC Aragone
Cameron Norrie may not have the firepower of other players in the draw, but his his quick movement and heavy topspin groundstrokes mean that he has become a difficult player to beat on the ATP Tour. At Delray Beach last year, Norrie recorded one of his best victories of his season over Taylor Fritz. This stood him in good stead for a career best performance in a Grand Rlam later in the year at the US Open, beating Diego Schwartzman from being two sets to love down in the opening round. Currently ranked at #74, the Brit has a career high ranking of #41. This season, he will be looking to consolidate his place inside the Top 50.
JC Aragone featured heavily at ITF and Challenger tour level last season, recording his best result at the Ann Arbor Challenger, reaching the quarterfinals. Ranked #299 in the world, Aragone has yet to establish himself on the ATP Tour and was given a wild card into the event. This is the first meeting between the pair, and I think Norrie’s experience will get him through.
Prediction: Norrie in 2
Andrej Martin vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Andrej Martin’s best result in the 2020 season came at the Cordoba Open, where he reached the semifinals. However, he did not have much success on hard courts. Daniel Elahi Galan qualified for the main draw of the Delray Beech Open last year, losing to Tommy Paul in the opening round. However, Galan had a great run at Roland Garros, reaching the third round of the main draw and recording victories over Cameron Norrie and Tennys Sandgren after coming through qualifying.
This is the first meeting at tour level between the pair and I’m predicting a tight match between the pair as there is only fifteen places in the ranking between them. There is no obvious favorite for this match. I’m expecting Martin’s experience to get him the win.
Prediction: Martin in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Donald Young
Since achieving his best result at a Grand Slam in reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open, Frances Tiafoe has struggled to build on that result to fulfill his undoubted potential and achieve consistent results on Tour. Last season, the American played a combination of Challenger and Tour level events, achieving his best result at the US Open, reaching the fourth round. The 2018 Delray Beach Open champion reached the quarterfinals of the event last year, and in 2021 the American will be looking to get back into the Top 50. Tiafoe plays an aggressive baseline game, and has all the tools to be a consistent member of the worlds top 30.
Donald Young’s ATP Ranking has dropped to #397, and 2020 was not a successful season for the 2005 Junior US Open champion, with him failing to qualify for the Australian Open, and failing to get past the second round of the five Challenger tour events he played. This is the first meeting between the pair, and if Tiafoe keeps his unforced errors to a minimum, he has more firepower than Young.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
Disagree with our ATP Delray Beach Open Day 2 Predictions? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
