Some of the first round action at the 2023 Atlanta Open will see Gael Monfils taking on Thanasi Kokkinakis and Ethan Quinn playing Aleksandar Vukic. Get the latest predictions along with the odds, preview and head to head for these matches along with Wu Yibing v Corentin Moutet and Lloyd Harris v James Duckworth.
Gael Monfils v Thanasi Kokkinakis Preview
Head-to-Head: There has been one previous meeting between these two which came at the 2018 Adelaide International. Monfils had won that in straight sets.
Monfils had been out of action for a while and his return to tennis this season has been anything but exemplary. Results haven’t quite gone his way and another injury followed soon after which forced Monfils to withdraw from his second round match at the French Open.
He had shocked Sebastian Baez in the first round there, in what was his first win of the season at the highest level but following that he couldn’t continue.
And Monfils hasn’t played since making this a difficult ask of him to feature in a match against a player of Kokkinakis’ calibre.
Kokkinakis has himself never been ranked better than 69th on the charts but spread across the Challengers, qualifiers and main draws of events, he holds an 18-9 win-loss record for this season in hardcourt competitions.
Kokkinakis is also coming off a Challenger appearance last week in which he was shocked by James Trotter in the second round despite starting a 1/8 favourite to grab it.
Can he turn things around against the struggling Monfils?
Monfils v Kokkinakis Tip
Kokkinakis to win: 11/20
Ethan Quinn v Aleksandar Vukic Preview
Head-to-Head: This will be the first match between the 394th-ranked Quinn and world number 82, Vukic.
For the second tournament in a row, Quinn has earned himself a wildcard and he would love to make the most of it and improve his world ranking. Having gone into the Newport Open last week ranked 434th in the world, he made the second round there to break into the top 400 for the first time in his career.
While he expectedly lost to Tommy Paul in the second round, Quinn has tasted some success and will now return to his favourite surface.
He also has been fortunate to draw a player who has never been ranked better than his 82nd ranking, giving Quinn that chance to cause a flutter.
Vukic spent his recent time featuring in four ATP and two Challenger tournaments. He made the second round at the Eastbourne International and then again at Wimbledon but his best showings have been in hardcourt competitions.
Already the winner of a title at Busan and a runner-up in Seoul on the Challenger circuit, Vukic will know he has an opportunity to keep adding to his ATP win count here. He holds a slight edge.
Quinn v Vukic Tip
Three sets in the match: 6/4
Wu Yibing v Corentin Moutet Preview
Head-to-Head: There have been two previous meetings between these two and both have won one – Wu overcame Moutet in the qualifiers of the US Open while the Frenchman then had his revenge at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Yibing had announced himself to the world in February 2023 when he shocked a bunch of top players to go on to win the Dallas Open. Following that he has done nothing of note and won just six of the next 17 matches at the highest level. He also enters this tournament on a five-match losing streak.
And that is how things go sometimes when you end up winning a title against the run of player which is what the case was for Wu.
The good news for Wu is he is returning to the country and the kind of surface on which he won that title which should be a bit of a respite for him. And he is also up against a player who hasn’t played a lot of tennis this season because of an injury-related layoff.
Moutet has taken his time to resume winning but has shown some consistency with four wins from his last three tournaments.
He is, however, more known for his results on clay and has played in only two hardcourt matches this year – winning and losing one apiece. That could be the opening that Wu needs and that could help him get past his opponent.
Yibing v Moutet Tip
Yibing to win: 4/6
Lloyd Harris v James Duckworth Preview
Head-to-Head: Harris and Duckworth have never faced off before this.
Harris is in his comeback season after having been laid off because of fitness concerns. And since his return, he has slowly and steadily got back his groove.
The biggest example of that came in Mallorca earlier this season in which he came through the qualifiers to win three main round matches in a row. It was Christopher Eubanks who won a final set tie-breaker against him in the semifinal to end Harris’ dream run.
He also overcame Donald Young and Michael Mmoh in the qualifiers here to set up this meeting with Duckworth, another qualifier.
Duckworth was forced to save three match-points against Mitchell Krueger in the first qualifier of this event before defeating Mitchell Krueger in the second to qualify for this event again. Last year, he had won his opener here against Dominik Koepfer and has done well in hardcourt competitions on the Challenger circuit this year.
It makes this match very difficult to call.
Harris v Duckworth Tip
Three sets in the match: 5/4
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The 2023 Atlanta Open will be played from July 24 to 30. Get our ultimate guide on tennis betting and predictions here.
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