The Dallas Open kicked off Monday for its second year on the ATP Tour with a moderately strong field full of Americans. Ten of those will be in action on Tuesday, including the all-American battle previewed below. The indoor tournament will see a shift in court speed from the hot, muggy conditions in Australia with the big serving and heavy hitting players looking to take advantage. John Isner headlines the day’s matches, looking to improve on his semifinal run last year in his hometown event. All matches are predicted here at LWOT, and each match not found below will be previewed in a separate article.
ATP Dallas Day 2 Predictions
Alex Rybakov vs Marcos Giron
Head-to-head: first meeting
Both players are in the prime of their careers but at very different points in their journey. Rybakov has always sat around the Futures/Challengers level but has never played an ATP Tour match until this week. Giron is a talented, scrappy player who hasn’t quite gotten over the hump to an elite level, but plays well on hard court and had a strong run to the San Diego final last fall. Giron is a hard player to upset because he can grind from the baseline and force his opponents into mistakes. Rybakov does not have the power game that would be required to beat Giron, and his inexperience at this level will show in the match. Giron should win easily.
Prediction: Giron in 2
Fernando Verdasco vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-head: first meeting
Verdasco will sure to be a popular draw, with the 39-year-old veteran going through qualifying to reach his first Tour-level main draw in four months. He gets a tough draw in McDonald, fresh off eliminating his countryman Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open. Verdasco does have a court advantage, with his big serve a key factor for him to battle and avoid long, physical rallies.
McDonald is a good returner who will make that difficult, even on an indoor hard court. McDonald has already scored several strong wins this year and looks like a potential breakout player. While Verdasco is still going strong at his age, most of his recent match wins have been against player far below McDonald’s caliber. Verdasco’s serve will make it interesting but not close enough for a real challenge.
Prediction: McDonald in 2
Radu Albot vs Liam Krall
Head-to-head: first meeting
Krall is playing just his second Tour-level match after also receiving a wild card into the event last year. He plays at SMU, the university hosting the event, and is one of their star players. Albot is trying to get back into the Top 100 after injuries and a poor run of form over the last few seasons. He managed to win a couple of matches at the Quimper Challenger a couple weeks ago, breaking a five-match losing streak, many of those to lower-tier players.
Krall has had limited professional experience, most of which has been at the ITF level. He does have a significant height advantage over Albot so he will have to serve well to have a chance. Albot’s poor form of late gives Krall a chance, but the step up to Tour-level tennis will be too steep and Albot will pull it out.
Prediction: Albot in 3
John Isner vs Chun-Hsin Tseng
Head-to-head: first meeting
This will be a fun match for viewers because of the massive contrast in size, age, and style between the two. Isner is one of the tallest and biggest servers on tour, while Tseng is just 5’8″ (173 cm) and plays a return-focused baseline game. Isner is at the tail end of his career at 37 years old, while Tseng is still up and coming at age 21. Neither has played well this season, with a combined 1-5 record between the two of them. The one win came from Tseng at the Davis Cup outside, of the Tour.
Isner is always a threat with his serve, and showed some promise by making the Cincinnati quarterfinal near the end of 2022. Tseng has been on a poor run of form since last season and really struggled on hard courts. His game is best suited for clay, unlike Isner whose huge serve and forehand are perfect for fast indoor hard courts. Isner will have the crowd fully behind him on his way to a victory that will look straightforward but will not be without a fight.
Prediction: Isner in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
