Day 3 at the ATP event in Washington will feature plenty of exciting action including former world #3 Grigor Dimitrov and several American players, including American #1 Reilly Opelka. It should be a very fun day of tennis, with plenty of high quality close matches. We also have predictions for matches featuring Nick Kyrgios and Benoit Paire, along with Hubert Hurkacz.
ATP Washington Day 3 Predictions
Alex de Minaur vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Head-to-head: Nishioka 2-0 De Minaur
After facing Atlanta finalist Brooksby in the first round, Nishioka will now face the Atlanta champion in De Minaur. Perhaps surprisingly, Nishioka leads the head-to-head 2-0 without any sets dropped or even a tiebreak played. With De Minaur fresh off an intense week that led to a title, this might well be an opportunity for the Japanese to get a third victory in this matchup; he’s a very solid, consistent player who’s most likely a bit underranked right now and will soon climb up. Given the circumstances, he might well beat De Minaur again here and go on a strong run.
Prediction: Nishioka in 2
Sebastian Korda vs Sebastian Baez
Head-to-head: Korda 1-0 Baez
Baez might be much higher ranked at the moment and having a great season, capped off with a title in Estoril, but on this surface Korda is the clear favorite. The American has shown great glimpses all season, but mental weakness in key junctures has stopped him from taking the next step forward in his career. Despite that, one feels like it’s a matter of time until he is able to win tournaments like these.
Prediction: Korda in 2
Denis Kudla vs Reilly Opelka
Head-to-head: Opelka 2-1 Kudla
Opelka has won two titles already this season but his results have been disappointing ever since the last one of those titles in Houston. His clay and grass season were far below expectations, but US hardcourts are where he feels best and where his best results are expected to come. Kudla could be a tricky customer, but Opelka should be able to serve his way to victory here.
Prediction: Opelka in 2
Grigor Dimitrov vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: Dimitrov 3-0 Mannarino
Dimitrov isn’t having a good season, but he’s still able to have occasionally deep runs, especially at Masters 1000 level. Mannarino has also struggled after his match against Nadal in Australia. Neither player is in good form but Dimitrov seems to have the edge in this matchup and should be able to prevail here.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 2
Main Photo from Getty Images
