After not being able to hold a tournament in 2020, the ATP Los Cabos Open is back. The Mexican resort city is known for its beaches and nightlife brings a similar vibe to its tournament, with play starting at 6pm local time. Day one kicks off with six first-round matches and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Denis Kudla. But who will advance?
ATP Los Cabos Day 1 Predictions
Andreas Seppi vs Alex Bolt
Head-to-head: first meeting
For both players, this will be their first time playing on outdoor hard since Australia. Andreas Seppi’s and Alex Bolt’s records this season are similar (17-12 and 13-12), but they have had very different journeys since. Seppi won a Challenger 80 in Biella back in March but has been in middling form since. Bolt went on a seven-match losing streak on the Challenger Tour on clay, but then won the Nottingham Challenger as a qualifier. The Italian is probably the favorite, but if Bolt can transform his grass form onto hard courts, he could trouble Seppi.
Prediction: Seppi in 2
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Steve Johnson vs Gerardo Lopez Villasenor
Head-to-head: Johnson 1-0 Lopez Villasenor
The 31-year-old American has only won three matches this season, all at slams. Most recently, Steve Johnson lost to Denis Kudla in three sets in Newport, which is not a bad result, though he needs to start winning again soon if he wants to stay on the main tour for a couple more years.
That said, Johnson will be a heavy favorite against world #654 Gerardo Lopez Villasenor. The Mexican wild card has a similar record to Johnson, but on the Futures circuit. On the plus side for Lopez Villasenor, he reached a quarterfinal at a Futures in Weston in his last tournament, losing to Ryan Harrison. In their only meeting, Johnson beat Lopez Villasenor in straight sets at Acapulco 2019, when Lopez Villasenor was in far better form as he got 37 wins that season.
Prediction: Johnson in 2
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Jason Jung vs Evgeny Donskoy
Head-to-head: Jung 1-1 Donskoy
Jason Jung has been in middling form this season with an 8-14 record, but finished his grass season well, defeating Brayden Schnur and Tennys Sandgren to reach a quarterfinal in Newport. Evgeny Donskoy has a similar record but is carrying a four-match losing streak through the grass season, although hard courts are the best surface for both players and they get to return to it this week.
Hard courts were the site of their previous two meetings as well, Jung winning the most recent one in three sets in Vancouver 2019, Donskoy winning the first one in Kaohsiung back in 2017. Jung should definitely be a favorite considering the gap in recent form between the two.
Prediction: Jung in 3
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