Halle 2024 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Alexander Bublik vs Max Purcell
Day 2 at the 2024 Terra Wortmann Open promises plenty of exhilarating action for fans with the likes of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Bublik, and others set to take center stage.
The newly crowned World No. 1 Sinner will open his campaign against the in-form Tallon Griekspoor, while French Open runner-up and second seed Zverev is set to go to battle against Oscar Otte in an all-German affair.
Last year's runner-up Rublev finds himself in a tricky opener against Marcus Giron. Sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas meanwhile finds himself drawn against wildcard Henri Squire. Defending champion Alexander Bublik will open his campaign against Australian qualifier Max Purcell.
Other big names in action on Day 2 include Matteo Berrettini, Joao Fonseca, Arthur Fils, and Christopher Eubanks. So, without further ado, let's look at the predictions for some of these matches.
#3 Arthur Fils vs Tomas Machac
Arthur Fils will open his campaign against Tomas Machac at the Terra Wortmann Open in what is set to be the first meeting between the pair.
Fils kicked off the 2024 season in scintillating form with back-to-back quarterfinal and semifinal appearances in Hong Kong and Auckland. He's also reached the quarterfinals in Chile and Barcelona but has seen a dip in form ever since, especially on the clay.
He played his first match on the grass last week in 's-Hertogenbosch, beating compatriot Arthur Cazaux in the first round before going down to third seed Ugo Humbert in the following round.
Machac, meanwhile, has also been having a wonderful season and holds an 18-9 match record so far. He reached the finals in Geneva and the last eight in Miami and Marseille. He's also found plenty of success on the doubles circuit alongside partner Zhizhen Zhang all season. He's also reached the third rounds of the Australian and French Open this year.
Both Fils and Machac walk into the encounter evenly matched given that neither of them has played too much tennis on the grass. Fils could hold the slight upper hand given that he's got some match practice on the surface under his belt. The winner could ultimately boil down to who plays the bigger points better.
Pick: Machac in three sets.
#2 Joao Fonseca vs James Duckworth
Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca is slated to open his Halle campaign against Aussie James Duckworth in what will be the first meeting between the pair on the ATP tour.
Fonseca has primarily featured on the challenger tour so far this year and holds a 5-5 match record on the professional tour so far. He played his first main draw match of the season at the Rio Open where he went on to reach the quarterfinals.
Fonseca has already played his first match on the grass this season at the Surbiton Challenger where he went down to sixth seed Brandon Nakashima in the second round. He took part in the Nottingham challenger too last week, falling in the second round once again.
Duckworth just like Fonseca, primarily plies his trade on the challenger circuit. He holds a 7-5 match record on the ATP tour so far this season.
Duckworth also opened his grass-court swing at the Surbiton challenger, going down in the second round to Beibit Zhukayev in a tight contest. He entered the Stuttgart opener as a part of the qualifiers and successfully secured himself a berth in the main draw. He scored victories over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and second-seed Ben Shelton, before going down to eventual finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Fonseca could very well win this encounter if he should serve and attack the net well. Keeping points short will be the key, and so will converting on the return given both players have relatively strong serves.
Pick: Fonseca in three sets.
#Alexander Bublik vs Mac Purcell
Sixth seed Alexander Bublik is set to open his title defense in Halle against Australian qualifier Mac Purcell. The pair have never faced off in professional competition.
Bublik is currently 20-13 for the season along with the one title in Montpellier. He's also reached the finals in Dubai and the semifinals in Lyon.
He opened his grass-court campaign in Stuttgart last week as the third seed. He beat Hamad Medjedovic in the opening round but went down to fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals after being forced to withdraw down 1-0 in the final set.
Purcell, on the contrary, has scarcely featured on the ATP tour this year, primarily taking part in challenger and future events. He holds a 6-13 match record in professional competition and has reached the and is yet to make it past the round of 16 in any tournament.
Purcell played his first match on the grass in 's-Hertogenbosch last week but failed to register a win, going down to Aleksandar Vukic in the first round in straight sets.
Bublik's prowess on the grass should ensure a routine victory with an upset looking highly unlikely.
Pick: Bublik in straight sets.