No. 4 seed Holger Rune is the highest-ranked player to kick off his ATP Queen’s Club campaign on Monday this year. The Dane reached the final four at this event in 2023 but followed it up with an opening-round loss to Jordan Thompson 12 months ago. Now he’s taking on Matteo Arnaldi, who do you think will prevail?
ATP Queen’s Club Day 1 Predictions
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Nuno Borges
Head-to-head: First meeting
Yes, the Roberto Bautista Agut of today is just a shadow of the player who reached Wimbledon semifinals six years ago. But the Spaniard might find a bit of a boost of motivation now that he’s back on a surface that suits his game so well. We didn’t really get to see that in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week, mostly due to a very difficult draw in his opener (Hubert Hurkacz). Even at this stage of his career, Bautista Agut knows the ins and outs of grass better than Nuno Borges and has a deadly flat forehand.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Mackenzie McDonald vs Gael Monfils
Head-to-head:
Grass was never the favorite surface of Gael Monfils with the Frenchman reaching the second week at Wimbledon on just one occasion. At this venue, he made the quarterfinals all the way back in 2006 and hasn’t played the event since 2010. He might be vulnerable and Mackenzie McDonald should like his chances to cause trouble. The American’s flat groundstrokes suit this court very well and he’s built up plenty of grass momentum over the last couple of weeks. If Monfils won’t step into the court a bit, he’ll lose.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
Holger Rune vs Matteo Arnaldi
Head-to-head: Rune 1-0
Holger Rune has been a factor at Wimbledon the last couple of years and also reached the semifinals at this event in 2023. The Dane continues to be quite mercurial and you never really know what to expect from him, which often leads to heavy upsets. Matteo Arnaldi is similarly up and down, but has already shown a few times this year that in an individual match, he can hang with more or less anybody. Rune’s the favorite even if it’s not exactly a vote of confidence.
Prediction: Rune in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
