Three second round picks from Kitzbühel today, with clear skies and temperatures around 13°C making for decent conditions out on the clay. The standout one here is Bublik vs Diaz Acosta, and we'll get to why that's such an interesting call in a moment.
Generali Open Kitzbühel Predictions
Sebastian Baez vs Arthur Rinderknech
Head-to-head: First meeting
Rinderknech is ranked higher and has had a decent season, but clay is a different story for him. He's a big server who likes to play fast and take time away from opponents, and Kitzbühel's slow red clay does neither of those things any favors. Baez, on the other hand, has built his whole game around grinding on this surface and he's one of the better movers in the game when he's locked in.
I think Rinderknech keeps it competitive enough to take this to three and Baez's consistency in long rallies should be the difference.
Prediction: Baez in 3
Quentin Halys vs Valentin Vacherot
Head-to-head: First meeting
Vacherot has been one of the better stories on clay this year and his ranking reflects real results on this surface. Halys is a solid player but he's at his best when he can dictate with his forehand on faster courts, and the conditions here won't let him do that as freely. Vacherot's ability to stay patient and construct points is well suited to Kitzbühel.
Vacherot wins this, though Halys has enough firepower to make it a three-setter, all things considered.
Prediction: Vacherot in 3
Alexander Bublik vs Facundo Diaz Acosta
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is the one to watch. Bublik at rank 11 against an unseeded opponent on clay sounds straightforward, but Bublik on clay is never straightforward. He gets bored, he goes for trick shots at the wrong moments, and slow red clay punishes the kind of loose errors he's prone to more than any other surface. That said, Diaz Acosta at 108 in the world is no pushover on this surface either and has the physicality to drag Bublik into the kind of long matches he hates.
Feel like this is exactly the sort of match Bublik sleepwalks through and suddenly finds himself in trouble. Diaz Acosta to take it.
Prediction: Acosta in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © SIPA USA