Atlanta Open 2023 Day 4: Singles predictions ft. J.J. Wolf vs Maxime Cressy

The fourth day of action at the Atlanta Open on Thursday, July 27, will feature four second-round matches. Three seeds and a qualifier will be in action.

On Wednesday, the likes of fifth seed Christopher Eubanks and Alex de Minaur advanced, respectively beating their compatriots Brandon Nakashima and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four second-round matches at the Atlanta Open could pan out:

#1 Daniel Evans vs Dominik Koepfer

Third seed Daniel Evans takes on Germany's Dominik Koepfer for a place in the Atlanta Open quarterfinals.

World No. 30 Evans, who has an 8-17 win-loss record this season, received a first-round bye at the ATP 250 event. The 88th-ranked Koepfer, on the other hand, defeated John Isner in a third-set tiebreak to improve to 1-1 in 2023.

While the two players haven't clashed before, expect Koepfer to upset his higher-ranked opponent.

Pick: Koepfer to win in three sets.

#2 J.J. Wolf vs Maxime Cressy

Eighth seed J.J. Wolf takes on compatriot Maxime Cressy as a place in the Atlanta Open quarterfinal beckons.

The 46th-ranked Wolf opened his campaign with a straight-set win over Jason Jung to improve to 18-15 on the season. Meanwhile, World No. 105 Cressy saw off compatriot Alex Michelsen in straight sets to improve to 9-18 in 2023. That was only his second win in 16 matches, snapping a three-match losing streak.

Wolf took his lone meeting with Cressy at Florence last year and should prevail again.

Pick: Wolf to win in straight sets.

#3 Taylor Fritz (Atlanta Open top seed) vs Yibing Wu

Top seed Taylor Fritz opens his campaign at the Atlanta Open against China's Yibing Wu.

The ninth-ranked Fritz is 34-16 on the season, winning the title in Delray Beach. Meanwhile, World No. 89 Wu is 12-12 in 2023 after beating Corentin Moutet in his opener.

Fritz lost his lone meeting to Wu in the Dallas semifinals this year and should avenge that defeat in Atlanta.

Pick: Fritz to win in three sets.

#4 Kei Nishikori vs Juncheng Shang

Kei Nishikori continues his campaign at Atlanta against Chinese left-hander Juncheng Shang.

On the comeback trail, the 439th-ranked Nishikori won his first ATP match since October 2021 by beating Australia's Jordan Thompson in two tiebreaks. World No. 156 Shang, meanwhile, saw off sixth seed Ben Shelton in his opener to improve to 2-3 in 2023.

The two players haven't clashed before, but expect the more experienced Nishikori to prevail.

Pick: Nishikori to win in straight sets.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

Know More

Edited by Anirudh Velamuri