Three picks from the first round of the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel today, with pleasant conditions on the mountain clay, partially cloudy and around 20°C. Should be good tennis weather. Who do you think comes through?
Generali Open Predictions
Daniel Altmaier vs Raphael Collignon
Head-to-head: First meeting
Collignon is ranked higher and has been the more consistent performer on clay this season, and on this surface the Belgian tends to grind opponents into uncomfortable positions from the baseline. Altmaier isn't a bad clay player by any means, but he's had a patchy 2024 and hasn't really strung results together on the dirt.
First meetings are always a little unpredictable, but I feel like Collignon's ranking edge and clay-court form are enough to get through here, probably after dropping a set, all things considered.
Prediction: Collignon in 3
Sebastian Baez vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-head: Baez 0-3 Kecmanovic
That H2H is a rough one for Baez fans. Three losses, no wins, and Kecmanovic has looked comfortable across all of them. That said, Kitzbuhel clay is slow and high-bouncing, and that kind of surface tends to suit Baez's heavy topspin game more than faster clay courts do. Kecmanovic is no slouch on dirt either, but he's been inconsistent this summer.
Baez wins this one. The conditions are as good as they're going to get for him to finally flip this head-to-head and at home on clay he's a different player than the one who dropped those three previous matches.
Prediction: Baez in 3
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Alexander Shevchenko
Head-to-head: Struff 2-0 Shevchenko
Struff is 2-0 against Shevchenko and is playing in front of a crowd that genuinely loves him on this corner of the tour. He's a big server even on clay, and Shevchenko, who has struggled for consistency across most surfaces this year, hasn't done much to suggest he's ready to cause problems against a player with this kind of H2H edge and home comfort.
Hard to see this being competitive at all. Struff in three, though don't be shocked if Shevchenko nicks a set along the way.
Prediction: Struff in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Eric Dubost/ZUMA Press Wire