It’s time, somewhat belatedly, to wrap up the opening round of the 2022 ATP Naples Cup. There are six matches on the slate on day two in southern Italy and, as always, we here at LWOT are offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Marton Fucsovics vs Zhang Zhizhen. But who will reach the last 16?
ATP Naples Day 2 Predictions
Hugo Grenier vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: first meeting
You can never be certain how motivated Fabio Fognini will come to an ATP 250. This one’s at home, so perhaps he’ll be more determined. He did retire last week though after dropping eight consecutive games to Manuel Guinard. A couple of months ago this would have been a great opportunity for Hugo Grenier, but the Frenchman has lost the form that led him to the top 100. He’s more likely to find it again though and his mix of big serve and baseline consistency could frustrate Fognini.
Prediction: Grenier in 3
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Mackenzie McDonald vs Francesco Passaro
Head-to-head: McDonald 1-0 Passaro
We saw this one in Florence last week with Mackenzie McDonald winning 6-4 7-5 in the second round. Francesco Passaro is still relatively new to playing professional matches on hard courts, although he’s definitely got more ITF experience outdoors than indoors. The Italian has the talent to trouble McDonald here, but his game off-clay is still clumsy, needs a lot more refinement. His serve might be a liability in this rematch as it won’t get that same amount of extra pop as it did indoors.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
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Sebastian Baez vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-head: Sonego 2-0 Baez
Sebastian Baez has now lost 11 matches in a row and on top of that, he also had to retire from his match against Constant Lestienne with a right leg injury that looked dangerous. It’s hard to like his chances against Lorenzo Sonego, who’s already beaten him twice this year. One of these meetings took place on hard courts and it was a very comfortable 6-2 6-3 win for the Italian. Sonego can sometimes shoot himself in the foot, but he should be claiming this one with ease again.
Prediction: Sonego in 2
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