It promises to be another great day of ATP Washington tennis. 2024 US Open runner-up and No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz begins his tournament against the talented Aleksandar Vukic. Andrey Rublev’s match is also predicted in this article. We here at LWOT predict the other contests in two separate articles, including Frances Tiafoe vs Aleksandar Kovacevic and Daniil Medvedev vs Reilly Opelka.
ATP Washington Day 3 Predictions
Alexei Popyrin vs Wu Yibing
Head-to-head: Popyrin 1-0 Wu
Popyrin spoke bravely about his mental health after losing at Wimbledon. It seemed like the Australian might be away from tennis for a while, but he is back a few weeks later in Washington. Wu has played excellently since qualifying, and his strong returning skills could blunt his opponent’s powerful serve. The uncertainty surrounding how Popyrin will be feeling on the court makes me give a slight edge to Wu.
Prediction: Wu in 3
Flavio Cobolli vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Head-to-head: Cobolli 1-1 Nishioka
This will be Cobolli’s first match since his excellent Wimbledon quarterfinal run. A quick hard court like the one in Washington represents Nishioka’s best chance of causing an upset despite Cobolli reaching the final at the tournament last year. The Italian’s greater firepower and his final run 12 months ago make him the favorite, but I think Nishioka has a realistic chance of winning.
Prediction: Cobolli in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: Fritz 2-0 Vukic
Fritz usually plays his best tennis on hard courts in front of American crowds. Although the conditions suit Vukic’s game well, and he performed impressively against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, defeating Fritz will be a challenging ask. The Australian needs to serve well and be clinical when Fritz has any lapses on serve. If the world No. 4 wins the opening set, I do not think there is any chance of Vukic recovering to triumph.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
