Following the third slam of the season, 28 players have descended upon Gstaad, Switzerland, for a clay-court 250 event. The field is filled with top-ranked players looking to gain form ahead of the North American swing. Day 1 features six first-round clashes, including No. 5 seed Jan-Lennard Struff squaring off against Albert Ramos-Vinolas. As always, we at LWOT have the preview and prediction for all matches at ATP Gstaad. But who will advance?
ATP Gstaad Day 1 Predictions
Fabio Fognini vs Titouan Droguet
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Fabio Fognini’s run to the Wimbledon third round was surprising but shows he still has elite ability left in his racquet. He gets a tricky Round 1 draw in 23-year-old Titouan Droguet. The Frenchman is 19-7 in Challenger Tour matches this season and is looking for his second career tour-level win. Fognini still can beat virtually anyone on tour, but he is also susceptible to laying an egg. I expect that here.
Prediction: Droguet in 2
Hamad Medjedovic vs Marc-Andrea Huesler
Head-to-Head: Medjedovic 1-0 Huesler
Hamad Medjedovic has a ton of talent. The 20-year-old Serb is on the brink of breaking into the top 100 and can potentially be a top 20 player down the line. Marc-Andrea Huesler will have the backing of the home fans, but he has played very poor tennis this year. I’ll take the young, talented Serb in a decider.
Prediction: Medjedovic in 3
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Jan-Lennard Struff vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Head-to-Head: Struff 3-2 Ramos-Vinaolas
Veterans Jan-Lennard Struff and Albert Ramos-Vinolas square off in a scintillating first-round battle at ATP Gstaad. Struff has played the best tennis of his career over the last 18 months, including a straight-set win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas last year in Monte Carlo. The Spaniard is 2-8 in his previous ten matches. Struff should be able to blast his way into the second round.
Prediction: Struff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton – USA TODAY Sports