After Andrey Rublev fell early, the rest of the top seeds in Halle have held firm in the first round. What that means for tennis fans is a stacked second round that should be great to watch. Whether they can continue to perform is a question that needs answering and I will do my best to answer it in this set of ATP Halle day 3 predictions. Feel free to leave a comment below if you’d like to have your say on my predictions or share some insights of your own. Always happy to hear from you fellow tennis fans.
ATP Halle Day 3 Predictions
Pablo Carreno-Busta vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Carreno-Busta
Pablo Carreno-Busta took a while to settle in his first match in Halle but managed to secure a straight sets win against Holger Rune in the end. He now faces a sterner challenge in Sebastian Korda. The American pummelled Christian Garin in straight sets in his last match and has the tools to hurt most players on grass. If Carreno-Busta can keep his error count down and hit the ground running this time around then I think he has the upper hand. He must keep the ball away from Korda’s forehand as much as possible to secure the win and I think he’s a smart enough player to get the job done in that regard. Pick the Spaniard to move on in this one.
Prediction: Carreno-Busta in 3
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Hubert Hurkacz vs Ugo Humbert
Head-to-head: First meeting
Neither of these two were particularly convincing in their first round matches. Ugo Humbert was pushed to the brink by Radu Albot who, to his credit, played some superb tennis. Hubert Hurkacz on the other hand was taken the distance by Maxime Cressy largely because he wasn’t clinical enough in the second set. When he’s on song, the Pole is one of the best players in the mens game. However, Humbert’s game is equally well suited to this surface and he is the defending champion in Halle. If the young French star serves well he is very tough to beat. He did exactly that in his first match and he can definitely take his game up a notch or two. Hurkacz won’t get away with taking his foot off the gas a second time in this deep Halle draw.
Prediction: Humbert in 2
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Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 McDonald
Felix Auger-Aliassime was very good for most of his last match against Marcos Giron. However, patches of mediocre play in the second set are a cause for concern. The young Canadian has a game that translates well onto any surface and he can beat anyone when he’s firing. However, he still throws up the occasional game where he goes for too much and the errors flow freely from his racket. Fortunately, those moments are much less common this year and he should be able to right ship here as he takes on another American in Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald looked good in his first round match – a straight sets win over Huesler – but Auger-Aliassime looks to be a step too far for him in this one.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
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Daniel Medvedev vs David Goffin
Head-to-head: 3 – 1 Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev is probably still smarting from his finals loss last week at the Den Bosch open. That makes him a dangerous prospect here in Halle. The Russian is undoubtedly at his best on hard courts, but his grass game isn’t far behind and he is a real threat on the surface. He lost his only grass court meeting with David Goffin 3-2 at Wimbledon in 2019. However, he is much improved since then and I don’t see the Belgian having enough firepower to get past him. He will have to throw the kitchen sink at the Russian from the first point and sustaining that level long enough to win two sets against one of the best defenders in the men’s game seems a bit of a reach.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
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Nick Kyrgios vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Head-to-head: 2 – 1 Kyrgios
I wrote yesterday that I was unconvinced by Stefanos Tsitsipas and didn’t like his chances in Halle and some of you disagreed with me. Then he went and looked shaky at best against Benjamin Bonzi, a man with very little grass court experience at this level. The Greek’s reward for that unconvincing win is a match against a superb grass court player in Nick Kyrgios. The Aussie saw of Altmaier in straight sets in his first match and looked good in doing so. Tsitsipas can’t do much to hurt Kyrgios on grass. The Kyrgios’ flat groundstrokes, superior serve and immense touch at the net making him a tough prospect for anyone. If Kyrgios stays engaged and calm then he should win here. If not, we’ll likely get three sets that could be decided on whether he can get his emotions under control. I think he’s looked focused enough this year that he should get the job done in this one.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 2
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