The last grass event of the ATP season is being played in Newport as always; while the field might look weak on paper, this is still a historic event of the tour, which always produces interesting matches with unpredictable outcomes. As expected, there are lots of American players in the draw, as well as players whose favorite surface is grass looking to get a rare ATP level title.
ATP Newport Day 2 Predictions
Shintaro Mochizuki vs Arthur Rinderknech
Head-to-head: first meeting
Neither player had a particularly successful grass season and both will be trying to change things here. Rinderknech is clearly the superior player of the two and he actually played a decent level at Wimbledon, where he had an unlucky draw and faced Taylor Fritz in the second round. Mochizuki has lost four matches in a row coming into this tournament and is unlikely to reverse that trend here.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 2
Billy Harris vs Gabriel Diallo
Head-to-head: first meeting
Harris had a disappointing performance at Wimbledon, but he has actually had very good runs at best-of-3 grass events this year, showing that he can play some really good tennis on the surface. Meanwhile, Diallo hasn’t shown any aptitude on grass so far. All things considered, Harris should be able to make it to the second round here.
Prediction: Harris in 2
Eliot Spizzirri vs Li Tu
Head-to-head: first meeting
This will certainly be one of the worst ATP matches of the year as far as player ranking is concerned, with #208 taking on #393. While Spizzirri has never won an ATP level match, Tu has won one, at this event last year. He has been playing quite a bit on grass recently at lower levels and all indications are that he is more adept on this surface than Spizzirri.
Prediction: Tu in 2
Brandon Nakashima vs Emilio Nava
Head-to-head: Nakashima 1-0 Nava
Nakashima is generally a very solid player on grass and one of the favorites to win this tournament; he played quite well at Wimbledon, despite a close loss to Humbert in the third round, and should have some confidence ahead of this tournament. Nava, on the other hand, had quite a poor grass court season and that is unlikely to change here.
Prediction: Nakashima in 2
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
