Atp 250 Monaco di Bavaria - Day 1

Auger-Aliassime F. Marterer M.
Both players favor surfaces and base their game on a powerful serve and subsequent shot. Auger-Aliassime, a former world No. 9, is returning to form, showing in Monte Carlo that he can perform well even on slow surfaces, especially against opponents of much lower caliber. Marterer, on the other hand, has the home advantage, and if he can maintain good service percentages, he could push for at least one tie-break, but much will depend on the Canadian.

Daniel T. O'Connell C.
Daniel hasn't played on clay for a year, but last year he showed a preference for this surface by winning the first two rounds of Roland Garros quite comfortably, one of which was against O'Connell. O'Connell, who prefers to counter-attack and immediately put pressure, probably on Daniel's one-handed backhand, which might struggle with high trajectories. O'Connell has demonstrated consistency in previous tournaments and showed he can perform well on these courts in Monte Carlo. I believe it will be a hard-fought match where responses and few errors from both players will be key.

Garin C. Koepfer D.
Both players are strong on clay, powerful and not inclined to long rallies; they prefer hitting wide to finish quickly on the open side. Therefore, this match will depend a lot on the serving percentages of the two. Garin has played more on clay this season, although on very different courts from this one; the German, on the other hand, has practiced more on faster surfaces, but after today's rain, which will make the court even faster, he might benefit from it. It could be a closely contested match that might conclude in the third set.

Huesler M. Topo M.
Here we have two players with a similar playing style who like to play aggressively and close at the net, although with a considerable gap in rankings. Topo performs very well on these courts, and although the outcome of the match seems undisputed, Topo's ability to lose focus and gift points to Huesler could bring some uncertainty. There might be a tie-break, but I believe in the end the Swiss player can win the match comfortably.

Rodionov J. Vukic A.
Here we also have two players who prefer faster surfaces, but Rodionov can perform very well on clay due to his extensive past in challenger tournaments where he enjoyed playing on such courts. Despite Vukic showing competence on clay, I believe the Austrian is favored, especially due to his significant variations and fewer errors compared to his opponent, who will rely on his serve even at the cost of making more mistakes.

Shevchenko A. Hanfmann Y.
Shevchenko, a very capable player on hard courts, struggles a bit on slower surfaces since his not-so-powerful shots cannot be as effective, leading him to force errors both on serve and groundstrokes. Hanfmann, unlike his opponent, feels very comfortable on these courts and can adapt perfectly, especially to faster clay courts like this one. In addition to fewer errors and having played much more on these surfaces this season, he's the favorite. However, watch out for the Kazakh, who is a fighter and will do everything to prolong the match.

Ugo Carabelli C. Galan D.E.
Both South American players love this surface. Carabelli, a classic clay court player who prefers high trajectories and variations, might find himself under attack on this German's court, who certainly doesn't want to be begged to take control of the match. Despite being a clay lover, Galan is a powerful player who likes to push whenever he can, especially with his serve and forehand. For this reason, I think it could be a hard-fought match that could conclude in the third set.