Atlanta Open 2022: Tommy Paul vs Kwon Soon-woo preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Tommy Paul vs Kwon Soon-woo
Date: July 27, 2022
Tournament: Atlanta Open 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Atlanta, United States
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $708,530
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports
Tommy Paul vs Kwon Soon-woo preview
Tommy Paul and Kwon Soon-woo will lock horns in an exciting second-round encounter at the 2022 Atlanta Open on Wednesday.
Paul, the fifth seed, returns to his favored hardcourt for the first time since losing in the second round at Houston to Nick Kyrgios. The American made a successful start to the US Open swing, scoring an emphatic win over countryman Jack Sock in the opener. He dropped only two games en route to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Kwon, meanwhile, had to dig deep to pick up his first win on the surface since way back in February. The Korean, who most recently pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets at Wimbledon, came through 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 against another American in the form of Marcos Giron.
And while he has not enjoyed the most successful season on the tour, Kwon definitely possesses the weapons needed to turn the match-up on its head.
Tommy Paul vs Kwon Soon-woo head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between Tommy Paul and Kwon Soon-woo, so their current head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Tommy Paul vs Kwon Soon-woo odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Tommy Paul vs Kwon Soon-woo prediction
Both Paul and Kwon enjoy playing on the hardcourt and have had the biggest results of their respective careers on the surface. That said, given the gap in rankings and recent results, the American will come into the match as a slight favorite.
Paul possesses an all-court game, but his improved baseline hitting has seen him notch up a few big results on the quicker hardcourts. He does not possess the most explosive of groundstrokes, but his natural timing and willingness to take the ball early makes him a dangerous opponent.
Kwon, for his part, will have to watch out for the returns that will come flying at him from the other end. In the absence of a big first serve, the Korean could find himself on the backfoot in his service games.
He does possess a few big weapons — especially off the forehand wing — but unless he can find a way to keep Paul on the run throughout, Kwon risks being outhit in this contest.
Pick: Paul to win in two tight sets