Dallas Open 2023 Day 3: Men's Singles Predictions ft. Mackenzie McDonald vs Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov vs Yibing Wu
The third day of main draw action at the Dallas Open 2023 on Wednesday (February 8) will feature two seeded players - Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov - taking to the court after a first-round bye.
The second day of matches saw three seeds - sixth seed J.J. Wolf, seventh seed Marcos Giron and eighth seed Adrian Mannarino - book their place in the next round. In other results, Mackenzie McDonald beat qualifier Fernando Verdasco, while Jordan Thompson beat Denis Kudla.
On Wednesday, there will be six singles matches in Dallas - three Round of 32 and as many Round of 16 contests. On that note, here's a look at the predictions for each match:
#1 Round of 32: Emilio Gomez vs Taro Daniel
Emilio Gomez will make his season debut against World No. 107 Taro Daniel in Dallas on Wednesday.
The 102nd ranked Gomez failed to qualify for the Australian Open main draw but is coming off a semifinal run at the Cleveland Challenger. Meanwhile, Daniel made the second round at the year's first Grand Slam and is coming off a win in the Davis Cup against Poland.
Daniel won the pair's lone meeting in Seoul last year and is expected to replicate the same result against his Ecuadorean opponent.
Prediction: Daniel in straight sets
#2 Round of 32: Oscar Otte vs Christopher Eubanks
Oscar Otte will kickstart his Dallas Open campaign against home hope Christopher Eubanks on Wednesday.
The 80th-ranked Otte has won only one of his four singles matches this year and is on a three-match skid after opening his 2023 season with a win at the United Cup. Meanwhile, Eubanks, ranked 104th in the world, is 2-2 this season and is coming off a second-round showing at the Australian Open last month.
They have never met before, but expect Eubanks to prevail in three sets and extend Otte's losing run.
Prediction: Eubanks in three sets
#3 Round of 16: J.J. Wolf vs Radu Albot
J.J. Wolf will take on Radu Albot as a place in the Dallas quarterfinals beckons for the winner.
The 43rd-ranked Wolf is off to a rousing 5-2 start to the season, reaching the Australian Open fourth round last month. The 24-year-old beat his compatriot Brandon Holt in the first round in Dallas on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Albot fell in the opening round in Pune but notched up his first win of the season in the first round on Tuesday.
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@RaduAlbot advances after a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over SMU wildcard Liam Krall.
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They have never met before, but Wolf should ride his momentum and move into the last eight.
Prediction: Wolf in straight sets
#4 Round of 16: Mackenzie McDonald vs Frances Tiafoe
World No. 14 Frances Tiafoe will look for his eighth win in nine matches this year when he takes on compatriot Mackenzie McDonald in the Dallas second round on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Tiafoe won all five of his matches in the inaugural United Cup and made the Australian Open third round. Meanwhile, the 59th-ranked McDonald reached the second round Down Under and is coming off a Davis Cup win against Uzbekistan.
The two Americans have split their two previous meetings, but expect Tiafoe to sail through to the next round without much trouble.
Prediction: Tiafoe in straight sets
#5 Round of 16: Denis Shapovalov (making Dallas Open debut) vs Yibing Wu
Denis Shapovalov will open his Dallas campaign against Chinese sensation Yibing Wu on Wednesday.
The third-seeded Canadian is 4-2 on the season, having made the third round at the Australian Open (lost to Hubert Hurkacz) and the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 (lost to eventual winner Novak Djokovic).
The time has come. Denis Shapovalov makes his Dallas debut Wednesday night.
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Meanwhile, the 97th-ranked Wu opened his account for the season by beating home favorite Michael Mmoh in the first round on Tuesday. Wu is coming off a final run at the Cleveland Challenger last week.
Shapovalov and Wu have never met before, but the gulf in experience between the two players should see the Canadian left-hander emerge victorious.
Prediction: Shapovalov in three sets
#6 Round of 32: Zachary Svajda vs Daniel Altmaier
Daniel Altmaeir will look to get up and running in Dallas when he takes on qualifier Zachary Svajda in the opening round on Wednesday.
The 99th-ranked Altmaier will look to secure his first win of the season in his third attempt, having fallen in the first round of the Australian Open last month (against Frances Tiafoe). The German then lost to Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland in the Davis Cup. Meanwhile, Svajda, ranked 265th in the world, will be making his season debut, having made the quarterfinals in the Cleveland Challenger last week.
The two players have never met before on tour, but expect the experienced Altmaeir to be too hot to handle for the 20-year-old Svajda, who has only one win on the ATP Tour.
Prediction: Altmaier in straight sets