Delray Beach Open 2023 Day 4: Men's Singles Predictions ft. Aleksandar Vukic vs Radu Albot, Taylor Fritz vs Emilio Gomez
The fourth day of main-draw action at the 2023 Delray Beach Open on Thursday (February 16) will feature four second-round matches to complete the last-eight lineup.
On Wednesday, the likes of Miomir Kecmanovic and Mackenzie McDonald emerged victorious to seal their place in the last eight of the ATP 250 event.
On that note, here's a look at the predictions for the four second-round matches at Delray Beach on Thursday:
#1 Aleksandar Vukic vs Radu Albot (2019 Delray Beach winner)
Lucky loser Aleksandar Vukic will take on Moldova's Radu Albot for a place in the last eight at Delray Beach.
The 171st Vukic got off the mark for the season by beating Christopher Eubanks in the first round, avenging his loss to the American in qualifying. Meanwhile, World No. 113 Albot improved to 2-2 in 2023 by overcoming Fernando Verdasco in his opener.
Albot took their lone meeting at the Australian Open last year, but Vukic could turn things around against the 2019 champion this time around.
Prediction: Vukic to win in three sets.
#2 Denis Kudla vs Tommy Paul
Denis Kudla will take on second seed Tommy Paul in an all-American second-round matchup.
World No. 95 Kudla improved to 3-2 on the year by beating Jordan Thompson in the first round. Meanwhile, 18th-ranked Paul (7-2) will take to the court for the first time since making his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open last month.
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Paul won his lone meeting with Kudla in Washington DC four years ago and should repeat the result.
Prediction: Paul to win in straight sets.
#3 Adrian Mannarino vs J.J. Wolf
Adrian Mannarino will lock horns with ninth seed J.J. Wolf for a place in the Delray Beach quarterfinals.
The 59th-ranked Mannarino improved to 6-4 in 2023 by beating Daniel Altmaier in the opening round. Meanwhile, World No. 39 Wolf is 8-3 on the season after seeing off Ilya Ivashka.
Wolf and Mannarino met in Auckland earlier this year for the first time in their careers, where the American emerged victorious. Expect him to repeat that result on home soil.
Prediction: Wolf to win in straight sets.
#4 Taylor Fritz vs Emilio Gomez
Top seed Taylor Fritz will kickstart his Delray Beach campaign against Ecuador's Emilio Gomez.
The seventh-ranked Fritz dropped to 7-3 on the season after losing to eventual winner Yibing Wu in Dallas last week. Meanwhile, World No. 94 Gomez is 3-1 in 2023 after beating Wu Tung-Lin in the first round.
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The two players haven't met before, but Fritz should take this one without much problem.
Prediction: Fritz to win in straight sets.