Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Washington match.
After a disappointing performance in Los Cabos, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be looking to rebound in Washington. In the opening round, he faces a tough challenge against compatriot Jaume Munar, with their head-to-head record currently level at 2–2. Notably, their most recent encounter came in January, when Munar staged a comeback to win on outdoor hard courts.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has consistently struggled against top-50 players on outdoor hard courts—each of his last six matches against such opposition has featured at least one tiebreak set. His showing in Los Cabos was especially disappointing, losing to James Duckworth (ATP No. 104), underlining his difficulties in adapting from grass to hard courts. Additionally, in all four of his previous meetings with Jaume Munar, Alejandro has never managed a straight-sets win, dropping at least one set each time.
Jaume Munar
In contrast, Jaume Munar continues to show increasing adaptability. This season, he has recorded six wins over higher-ranked opponents, with only three losses. In Jaume Munar’s opening match in Washington, he secured a straightforward 7:5, 6:3 victory over Marcos Giron. He saved all eight break points faced and won 72% of points behind his first serve. Notably, he has also achieved impressive wins over Lorenzo Musetti in Hong Kong and Daniil Medvedev in Miami—both contested on similar surfaces.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Jaume Munar Prediction
Jaume Munar arrives in stronger form and has already beaten Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on this surface earlier in the year. Given Alejandro’s recent inconsistency and Munar’s solid run of results, the pick is for Jaume to come out on top in this matchup.
