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The second day of the 2023 ATP 250 Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston will feature six matches on Tuesday (April 4) to complete the first-round lineup. Three seeds, three qualifiers and a wildcard will be in action.
On the first day of the competition, the likes of Jason Kubler and wildcard Steve Johnson were victorious, beating wildcard Fernando Verdasco and Facundo Bagnis respectively.
Without further ado, here's a look at how the six matches on Tuesday could pan out in Houston:
#1 Jordan Thompson vs (5) J.J. Wolf
Australian Jordan Thompson opens his Houston campaign against fifth seed J.J. Wolf.
World No. 84 Johnson has won only three of his nine matches this year - Dallas and Indian Wells (2). He's coming off an opening-round exit in Miami. Meanwhile, the 54th-ranked Wolf is 9-7 in 2023, reaching the Dallas semifinals and Australian Open fourth round.
Wolf took their lone meeting at the Australian Open this year and should prevail again.
Prediction: Wolf to win in straight sets.
#2 Hugo Dellien vs Cristian Garin
Hugo Dellien takes on Cristian Garin in an all-unseeded first-round matchup in Houston.
Dellien is 5-4 in 2023, coming off winning the Santiago Challenger, and having made the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, Garin is 8-7, making at least the Round of 32 at Indian Wells and Miami.
Garin should take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Garin to win in three sets.
#3 Marcos Giron vs Emilio Gomez
Seventh seed Marcos Giron opens his Houston campaign against Emilio Gomez.
The 69th-ranked Giron is 8-8 in 2023, reaching the last eight in Auckland, Dallas and Delray Beach. Meanwhile, World No. 99 Gomez is 3-3 for the season, coming off first-round losses in Indian Wells and Miami.
Having won more matches this year, Giron should take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Giron to win in straight sets.
#4 Jack Sock vs Tomas Machac
Wildcard Jack Sock opens his Houston campaign against World No. 138 Tomas Machac.
Sock is 2-3 for the year and is coming off a Round of 64 run at Indian Wells. Meanwhile, Machac's only win in five matches in 2023 came in the Davis Cup against Portugal.
Going by experience alone, Sock should take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Sock to win in three sets.
#5 Yannick Hanfmann vs Yosuke Watanuki
In an all-qualifier first-round tussle, Yannick Hanfmann takes on Japan's Yosuke Yatanuki.
Both men have similar records in 2023, with Hanfmann going 2-3 and Yatanuki 2-2, making this a tough matchup to call. That said, Hanfmann should take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Hanfmann to win in three sets.
#6 Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo
In an all-Argentine first-round matchup, eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry takes on Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
The 73rd-ranked Etcheverry is 8-8 in 2023, losing the Santiago final, while Cerundolo is 3-3, making the Cordoba quarterfinals.
Etcheverry should take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Etcheverry to win in straight sets.
