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The 2023 Chile Open marks the final tournament of the South American golden swing and is set to kick off on Monday, February 27. Dominic Thiem, Lorenzo Musetti and Diego Schwartzman are some of the most well-known names competing here.
While the big names aren't in the fray on Day 1 of the tournament, there are quite a few exciting matches lined up for the day. Local hero Alejandro Tabilo, along with Spaniards Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez, are set to take to the court on Monday.
Here are the predictions for all the fixtures lined up for February 27:
#1 Pedro Martinez vs (Q) Yannick Hanfmann
The last few weeks have been particularly tough for Pedro Martinez.
He lost to Cristian Garin and Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the first round of the Cordoba Open and the Argentina Open respectively. The Spaniard defeated Garin at the Rio Open to score his first win of the golden swing, but lost to Nicholas Jarry in the second round.
As the defending champion at the Chile Open, he'll need to step up his game.
Similarly, Yannick Hanfmann is yet to score a main draw win during this period. Out of his three previous tournaments, the German was able to make it past the qualifying rounds of just the Argentina Open. Hanfmann lost to Francisco Cerundolo in the first round there.
He has now also qualified for the main draw at the Chile Open. With both players in rather dismal form at the moment, this contest could swing either way.
However, Martinez is in marginally better form and has the edge to come out on top in this encounter.
Predicted winner: Pedro Martinez.
#2 (7) Pedro Cachin vs (Q) Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Pedro Cachin has just one win under his belt during the golden swing so far, which came at the Argentina Open against Thiago Monteiro. Jaun Manuel Cerundolo, meanwhile, started the clay swing on a positive note by reaching the quarterfinals of the Cordoba Open.
However, it has been downhill since then for the 21-year old. He failed to make it past the qualifiers of the Argentina Open. Cerundolo also fell in the Rio Open qualifying rounds, but got a second shot as a lucky loser. He lost to Cameron Norrie in the first round.
Cerundolo defeated Marcelo Barrios Vera and Federico Delbonis to secure his place in the main draw of the Chile Open. Cachin is ranked considerably higher and will be the favorite based on that, but his younger adversary is likely to score an upset win here.
Predicted winner: Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
#3 Daniel Elahi Galan vs (Q) Riccardo Bonadio
Daniel Elahi Galan has just notched up a solitary victory since January, which came at last week's Rio Open. He knocked out Pedro Cachin before losing to Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Riccardo Bonadio, meanwhile, mainly plies his trade on the Challenger circuit. After scoring wins over Gonzalo Lama and Renzo Olivio in the qualifying rounds of the Chile Open, he's set to make his main-draw debut at the ATP level.
Bonadio is clearly the underdog in this match-up even though Galan is far from his best at the moment and is susceptible to another defeat given his form. Given his opponent's lack of experience on the main tour, the latter might be able to gain the upper hand in the end.
Predicted winner: Daniel Elahi Galan.
#4 Jaume Munar vs (Q) Alejandro Tabilo
Jaume Munar has struggled since the start of the year, compiling a 1-5 record so far. After starting the season with three first-round defeats, he snapped his losing streak with a win over Guido Pella at the Argentina Open. The Spaniard lost to Francisco Cerundolo in the next round.
Munar slumped to another opening round loss against Bernabe Zapata Miralles at last week's Rio Open. His record at the Chile Open isn't great either, with just one win in previous three appearances.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Tabilo's first ATP event of the season was the Cordoba Open. He lost a closely contested three-set battle against Federico Delbonis in the first round and also failed to make it past the qualifying rounds at the Rio Open.
Tabilo received a wildcard to compete at the Chile Open. He made it to the semifinals here last year, losing to eventual champion Pedro Martinez in three sets.
Neither player has a clear advantage over the other based on their recent results. The home crowd support could give Tabilo a slight edge, and his past results here could further boost his confidence. Based on that, the Chilean is likely to start on a winning note.
Predicted winner: Alejandro Tabilo.
