Thanasi Kokkinakis looks continue his feel-good comeback story as he takes to the court in Los Cabos on Tuesday. The Aussie is the #7 seed in this tournament which is an achievement in itself given his injury history over the last few years. Joining him in action on day 2 are the likes of Steve Johnson and Fernando Verdasco. None of the players featured on Tuesday are considered contenders for the title. That is little surprise given the prowess of the top four seeds at this tournament. However, tennis is a wonderful sport and an amazing upset story is never far away. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the four matches in this set of ATP Los Cabos day 2 predictions. For the other four matches taking place on Tuesday, see our first set of predictions.
ATP Los Cabos Day 2 Predictions
Toms Etcheverry vs Jason Kubler
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Etcheverry
Tomas Etcheverry appears to be in the strange position of being seeded and yet still being an underdog in a match. That is due to the fact that the Argentinian has played just seven hard court matches since the start of last year. By contrast, Jason Kubler has played 57 such matches and won 37 of those contests. Etcheverry won their meeting at the Australian Open qualifiers earlier this year. However, the Aussie is clearly the more accomplished player on hard courts and I like his chances of avenging that result here in Los Cabos.
Prediction: Kubler in 2
Gonzalo Villanueva vs Steve Johnson
Head-to-head: First meeting
A strong first half of the year sees Steve Johnson back inside the top 100 in the men’s game heading into the back end of 2022. The American has been a solid player throughout his career without ever ascending to truly special heights. Nonetheless, he is a tough opponent on his day and can give anyone trouble when on form. Gonzalo Villanueva will need to produce something special to come away with an upset win here and I don’t like his chances at all. Johnson isn’t an elite hard court player, but he is certainly more accomplished on the surface than the Argentinian. Back the American to win.
Prediction: Johnson in 3
John Millman vs Alex Hernandez
Head-to-head:
Alex Hernandez is the second native to receive wildcard for this event. However, aged 23 and sitting at #521 in the world, you have to question whether he deserves it. Nonetheless, this is a great opportunity to pick up some valuable points in his home country. Unfortunately, I suspect it is an opportunity he will fail to capitalise on as he faces John Millman in the first round. The Aussie is clawing his way back towards a respectable year after struggling mightily in the early stages of 2022. He is a fierce competitor who has historically done a very good job of winning matches he should win against lesser opponents. He should do the same here and pick up a relatively straightforward win to advance to the next round.
Prediction: Millman in 2
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fernando Verdasco
Head-to-head: 2 – 0 Verdasco
Verdasco’s remaining days on the ATP Tour are numbered. The Spaniard is 38 and well past the peak of his abilities. That being said, the Spaniard has shown signs of life in 2022 and may well be looking for one more fairy tale run to hang his racket on. However, that run is unlikely to come in Los Cabos as he faces a determined Kokkinakis in the first round. The Aussie is finally playing the tennis many expected of him years ago before he injuries curtailed his career. He lifted his maiden ATP title this year and is an impressive 16-7 on hard courts in 2022. he is the better player in better form and the result in this one will likely reflect that.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 2
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