The latest ATP action on clay continues this week in Kitzbuhel. Day 3 kicks off the second round, with plenty of delicious matchups to get excited about. As throughout the week, we will offer our forecasts on the play of the day. So who heads to the next round?
Predictions ATP Kitzbuhel Day 3
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs. Juan Pablo Varillas
Head-to-head: Ramos-Vinolas 2-0
This is a match that should excite all clay court fans. Ramos-Vinolas continues to play top-level tennis and, to this day, remains one of the most consistent players on tour. He is rock solid, a strong ball hitter and has a great tennis IQ. Beating him on clay is a tall order for anyone, and he could very well be a contender this week.
Rods may be a bit of a latecomer, with his best tennis on display at 26 years of age. He gave Felix Auger-Aliassime quite a scare at the French Open and is constantly proving that he can mix with the best, albeit only on clay. Although he is playing very well, Ramos-Vinolas has all the tools and answers for this matchup. Varillas will come out firing, but the Spanish veteran was built to win, and I expect him to do the same here.
Forecast: Ramos-Vinolas in 3
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Jurij Rodionov
Face to face: First meeting
Bautista Agut has yet to rediscover the form that put him in the top 10, but he remains an exceptional player. Despite being Spanish, he is not particularly adapted to clay courts. He is a good player on the surface, but his best tennis always comes on grass courts and fast hard courts like in Qatar.
Rodionov He’s someone I’ve had my eye on for a while now. His southpaw game is really exciting to watch, and he’s more than capable of playing at a good level. Unfortunately he has yet to develop a deadly weapon and I feel like this prevents him from reaching the top 100. I can see him playing very well for a set, especially given that he is a wild card in his local tournament. However, it is very likely that Bautista Agut will crush him and take the errors out of the Austrian’s racket.
Prediction: Bautista Agut at 3
Jiri Lehecka vs. Joao Sousa
Face to face: First meeting
Lehecka caught the attention of many with her impressive run to the semi-finals in Rotterdam this year. Understandably, it took her a bit of an adjustment to catch up with regular ATP tournaments along with Challenger appearances. He now he is doubtfully an exciting talent, but he has yet to achieve a great career on clay.
Sousa is at a strange point in his career. After his big comeback on tour, he’s been incredibly inconsistent for a while. The Portuguese hits a flat ball very hard and has the ability to send opponents down the court. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell if he’ll come out shooting or missing. That said, he looked good in his win over Kopriva and I hope he has enough to get through this test.
Prediction: Sousa in 3
Dominic Thiem vs. Sebastian Ofner
Head to head: Thiem 1 – 0
How good is it to see Dominic Thiem winning again? 2020 US Open Champion has been going through a torrid time for a while, but it looks like he’s finally on the right track now. He has won five of his last seven matches and came here with a quarter-final in Bastad and a semi-final in Gstaad. Thiem looked really good in his straight sets win over Shevchenko, and it seems his confidence is growing match by match.
Ofner, a fellow Austrian, pulled off a fantastic upset on Tuesday. Not many would have expected it, but he did an immense job of taking down the wily Frenchman. This will be a tough test, one would think. Ofner has no real weapons, and the former #3’s groundstrokes are certainly coming back to full power from him. A resurgent Dominic Thiem spells potentially bad news for the ATP players who have benefited from his absence, and it will stop this week if he continues like this. Thiem should be too good here.
Prediction: Thiem at 2
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