Acapulco 2024 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Alexander Zverev vs Daniel Altmaier | Mexican Open
The 2024 Mexican Open commenced its 31st edition on Monday. Defending champion Alex de Minaur made a strong start with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Taro Daniel in his opener.
Seventh seed Tommy Paul was eliminated by Jack Draper. This was the third meeting between the two this season, with the Brit coming through 6-0, 6-4 for a second win over his rival.
Ben Shelton was on the verge of making an early exit as well but staged a comeback to sneak past Dan Evans 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5). Miomir Kecmanovic, Sebastian Ofner, and Yoshihito Nishioka were among the other winners of the day.
The first round matches will come to a close on Tuesday, February 27. Here's a look at the predictions for some of the key matches set for Day 2 of the Mexican Open:
#1 - Alexander Zverev vs Daniel Altmaier
Zverev started the year with a title at the United Cup along with the rest of the German contingent. He lost just one singles tie during the tournament, which was against Alex de Minaur in the semifinals. But he proved his mettle by saving two championship points against Hubert Hurkacz in the final.
Zverev reached his second semifinal at the Australian Open but blew a two-set lead as he slumped to a five set loss against Daniil Medvedev. At last week's Los Cabos Open, he was upset by Jordan Thompson in the semifinals as he lost to him 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2).
Altmaier has lost in the first round of his last three tournaments starting with the Australian Open. Given that he's in a slump at the moment, Zverev will be the overwhelming favorite to begin his Mexican Open campaign with a win.
Predicted winner: Alexander Zverev
#2 - Holger Rune vs Michael Mmoh
Rune started the season with a runner-up finish to Grigor Dimitrov at the Brisbane International. Arthur Cazaux upset him in the second round of the Australian Open after that.
Rune next reached the semifinals of the Open Sud de France but an injury forced him to throw in the towel during his match against Borna Coric. Alexander Shevchenko sent him packing in the second round in Rotterdam.
Rune also had to deal with some behind the scenes drama regards to his coaching situation. He parted ways with Boris Becker and Severin Luthi over the last few weeks and reunited with former coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Mmoh came through the qualifying rounds of the Mexican Open to secure his place in the main draw. He faced off against Rune just a couple of weeks ago in their first and only prior encounter so far at the Open Sud de France.
The Dane scored a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win back then. Despite his recent inconsistencies, Rune should be able to handle whatever Mmoh throws at him to advance further.
Predicted winner: Holger Rune
#3 - Jordan Thompson vs Aleksandar Kovacevic
Thompson enjoyed a great week at the Los Cabos Open where he claimed his maiden singles title along with his fourth doubles title. He earned a hard fought three set win over Zverev in the semifinals and then defeated Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the final.
Kovacevic bested Nicolas Mejia and Rinky Hijikata in the qualifiers to advance to the main draw of the Mexican Open. The American previously snapped a three-match losing streak at the main draw level to reach the quarterfinals of the Los Cabos Open.
Thompson won their only prior meeting at last year's Hall of Fame Open in straight sets. Both seem to be playing well but given the Australian's unbeaten run and better results overall, he'll be expected to move past Kovacevic.
Predicted winner: Jordan Thompson
#4 - Dusan Lajovic vs Rodrigo Pacheco
Lajovic reached back-to-back quarterfinals in his last two events, the Argentina Open and the Rio Open. He'll now be aiming to replicate the same level of success on hardcourts. The Serb has won just a lone match on the surface this season.
Pacheco lost a tight contest against Aleksandar Vukic in the first round of the Los Cabos Open as he went down 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10). He received a wildcard to participate in the Mexican Open.
The 18-year old Pacheco has played just a handful of matches on the ATP Tour as he's just getting started with his career. Consdering his opponent's inexperience at this stage, Lajovic should be able to move on to the next round even if he's challenged by the youngster.
Predicted winner: Dusan Lajovic