Day three at the ATP Tel Aviv Open brings about the end of the first round and the start of the second round at this ATP 250 event. Second-round matches mean that the top-four seeded players will take the court, including second seed Marin Cilic. The Croatian has the unfortunate draw of squaring off against 2020 US Open Champion Dominic Thiem, someone he has yet to beat in four attempts. Will Cilic get the best of Thiem in Tel Aviv? We at LWOT have our prediction for that match as well as all other happenings around the grounds of the ATP Tel Aviv Open.
ATP Tel Aviv Day 3 Predictions
Adrian Mannarino vs Constant Lestienne
Head-to-head: first meeting
We have an all-French first-round affair in Tel Aviv as Adrian Mannarino and Constant Lestienne square off for the first time. Both players are coming off of the North American hard-court swing having compiled a good amount of match wins. Since late July, Mannarino holds a 13-6 record, including a title in Winston-Salem. Lestienne holds a 19-4 record over that time, though, most of his damage has come on the Challenger Circuit. Under normal circumstances, I think this match would be very close. Unfortunately for Lestienne, he had some very long travel days after reaching the quarterfinals in San Diego. I think the jet lag gets to him in this one.
Prediction: Mannarino in 2
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Maxime Cressy vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-head: first meeting
Fourth seed Maxime Cressy gets his ATP Tel Aviv Open campaign underway against compatriot Sebastian Korda. Korda bested Cem Ilkel 6-4 6-4 in his opener. The young American has had an up-and-down 2022 season and is looking to end it on the right foot. Cressy, on the other hand, has played the best tennis of his career this season. He won his maiden title in Newport, though, the serve-and-volleyer is just 3-5 since that tournament. Korda is certainly the better player from the baseline, but Cressy will try to eliminate that completely. I trust Korda’s passing shots to get it done in a match I see finishing with a few tiebreaks.
Prediction: Korda in 3
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Roman Safiullin vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head-to-head: first meeting
Roman Safiullin and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are meeting in the second round of the ATP Tel Aviv Open with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Safiullin is looking to reach his second tour-level quarterfinal of the year. Martin Etcheverry is looking for his first. Both players have dominated the Challenger Circuit all year long. With that said, Martin Etcheverry’s work has mainly come on the clay whereas Safiullin prefers the hard courts. In a match that I expect to be tight throughout, I hold the Russian as the slight favourite due to his proclivity on hard courts.
Prediction: Safiullin in 2
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Thiago Monteiro vs Pablo Andujar
Head-to-head: first meeting
Thiago Monteiro and Pablo Andujar are slated to match up for the first time in the first round in Tel Aviv. These two are known as clay-court specialists, so it will be interesting to see how they handle the indoor hard courts in Israel. Monteiro is coming off of a Challenger Title in Genoa. He holds a career-best ranking of world No. 62 and is feeling very confident in his game. Andujar, on the other hand, has played in just three tournaments over the last two months. He has really shied away from hard courts in the latter years of his career, making his appearance in Tel Aviv somewhat of a surprise. I do not see the Spaniard finding much success against the lefty Brazilian in this one.
Prediction: Monteiro in 2
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Dominic Thiem vs Marin Cilic
Head-to-head: Thiem 4-0 Cilic
Easily the biggest match of the day comes between former US Open Champions Thiem and Cilic. Although Thiem holds the 4-0 record against Cilic, they have not squared off in nearly two years. Since then, a lot has changed for both players. Thiem comes into this tournament via a Wildcard entry. His re-emergence on tour has been slow, but a run to the Rennes Challenger final a few weeks ago was a very positive sign. Cilic is the second seed in Tel Aviv. The big Croatian is currently ranked 16th in the world and is coming off of a run to the round of 16 at the US Open. Despite the major disparity in current world rankings, I expect these two to put on a show. I give the slight edge to Cilic who I trust more in three-set matches in his current state.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
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