ATP Atlanta Day 1 Predictions Including Shapovalov vs Goffin

The ATP Tour returned to American soil with Marcos Giron’s victory in Newport on Sunday. This week, the action heads south to Atlanta, Georgia for the 250-level ATP Atlanta Open. While many top players are in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, Atlanta still offers an intriguing field with plenty of top-50 players. The action kicks off on Monday with three main draw matches, including Denis Shapovalov vs. David Goffin. As always, we at LWOT have a preview and prediction for the day’s action. But who will advance to the second round?

ATP Atlanta Day 1 Predictions

Alejandro Davidovitch Fokina vs. Arthur Cazaux

Face-to-face: first meeting

No. 5 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina heads to Atlanta looking to get back on track after an up-and-down first seven months of the season. Last August, he was close to the top 20. The 25-year-old Spaniard currently sits at No. 41 in the world and hasn’t won back-to-back matches since February. Fortunately for Davidovich Fokina, his opponent, Arthur Cazaux, has had an even tougher time this season. The 21-year-old Frenchman is 2-10 since the start of March. Davidovich Fokina has too many weapons to lose this match.

Prediction: Davidovitch Fokina in 2

Yoshihito Nishioka vs. Zachary Svajda

Face-to-face: first meeting

American Zachary Svajda has played two qualifying rounds for the ATP tournament in Atlanta. The 21-year-old is ranked a career-high No. 113 in the world and has shown signs of top-50 potential this season. Yoshihito Nishioka had a tough start to the season, going 7-15 from early February to late May. Since then, he has gone 6-3 with three top-100 wins. Svajda will have the support of his home crowd, but Nishioka is tough to play against on hard courts.

Prediction: Nishioka in 3

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Denis Shapovalov vs David Goffin

Face-to-face: 1-1

Denis Shapovalov and David Goffin have split their last two meetings, although this will be their first in nearly four years. Goffin, 33, refuses to go away, having won the Ilkley Challenger last month. Shapovalov, a former world number 10, has shown signs of his best form recently. The 25-year-old Canadian has two top-30 victories in the last two months and pushed Ben Shelton to five sets at Wimbledon. I think Shapovalov is a sneaky contender at ATP Atlanta.

Prediction: Shapovalov in 2

Main photo credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports