ATP Atlanta Day 2 Predictions, Including Isner vs Koepfer Prediction 07/25

With the tournament taking place in the United States, there is always interest in how the Americans perform. This is especially true with a longstanding player such as John Isner. The all-time leader in aces is always a threat with his big serve and has shown better form of late. The No. 103 Isner will now face No. 88 Dominik Koepfer. 

Before ATP Newport, Isner had lost seven matches in a row, including four of those coming on a hard surface. But on the grass in Newport, Isner won three matches including over No. 14 Tommy Paul to reach the semifinals. Isner would lose to Alex Michelsen to end his run, but he still showed signs of being competitive going forward, which could bode well at a place he’s had success at. Isner has six career singles titles at Atlanta.

This will be Koepfer’s first tournament on a hard court after the grass season. Koepfer hasn’t been in action since losing in straight sets to Oscar Otte at Wimbledon. It’s been a successful season record-wise for Koepfer, who is 27-10 but is just 2-3 on hard courts in 2023. Koepfer also hasn’t played on a hard court since March in Mexico when he lost to Daniel Altmaier. 

This will be the first matchup between Isner and Koepfer. Our 2023 Atlanta Open predictions expect Isner to come away with the victory. Given Isner’s improved form, in addition to his success at Atlanta, and Koepfer’s lack of recent hard court experience, we suggest backing Isner to win (-166) at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Best Betting Pick: Isner to win (-160) at FanDuel

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An intriguing first-round matchup pits Maxime Cressy against the up-and-coming Alex Michelsen. Cressy is the higher-ranked player at No. 105, but it’s Michelsen (No. 140)  who has shown to be in better form as of late. 

At just 18 years old, Michelsen is in the midst of the best stretch of his young career. A year ago he was ranked No. 599 and had just a 26-14 record. But Michelsen has vastly improved, tallying a 42-15 record this season and has won nine of his last 10 matches. That stretch included a title in Chicago on the ATP Challenger Series and also a finals run in the ATP Newport grasscourt event, which featured impressive wins over Isner, Mackenzie McDonald and also Cressy. The hard courts should suit Michelsen, who is 30-8 on the surface this season. 

On the other side, it’s been more of a struggle recently for Cressy, who has lost his last three matches and 13 of his last 14 overall. After reaching as high as the No. 34 ranking last season, Cressy is down to No. 105 and is just 8-18 this season. The only positive to take away is hard courts are his best surface, where he is 7-8 in 2023. 

Cressy is a slight favorite, but based on their recent form and Michelsen securing a recent win over Cressy, Michelsen to win (-105) at BetMGM is our betting pick to win this matchup.

Best Betting Pick: Michelsen to win (-105) at BetMGM

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The matchup between Jungcheng Shang and Ben Shelton features two of the younger players on the tour. Shang is just 18 years old, while Shelton is 20. This will be the first matchup between the two, with Shang ranked at No. 156 and Shelton at No. 41. 

Shang got into the Atlanta Open through qualification with him winning two matches to earn his spot in the draw. This will be a step up in competition for Shang, who hasn’t been in a grand slam or ATP Tour-level tournament since the French Open in May. Jung has played in seven challenger-level events since then and has shown decent form. He’s won five of his last seven matches and is 20-14 this season, including a 10-7 record on hard courts.

Shelton has managed to rise to the highest ranking of his career, even though his recent form is trending in the wrong direction. He’s lost seven of his last nine matches during the clay and grass season and hasn’t played since making the second round at Wimbledon before losing to Laslo Djere. But now he prepares for the hard court season which has routinely been his best during his three years as a professional. In 2021, he went 13-5 on the surface before going an impressive 40-11 last season. In 2023, he’s just 6-7 on hard courts. 

Shang has had the better results lately, but we’re going to back Shelton to win (-174) at FanDuel Sportsbook. Hard courts are Shelton’s better surface, and the step up in competition for Shang will be too much to overcome a player of Shelton’s caliber. 

Best Betting Pick: Shelton to win (-174) at FanDuel

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