Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Hamburg match.
Local favourite Daniel Altmaier will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in Hamburg. But will the German truly be the one testing the Canadian, or should the sixth seed be expected to take control?
Daniel Altmaier
At 26, Daniel Altmaier arrives in Hamburg with a losing win/loss record on the tour this season: 9–12. He has struggled to get past the early rounds in recent clay-court Masters events, losing twice to slightly higher-ranked opponents. His most notable run came in Monte Carlo, where he progressed through two rounds before being eliminated in the round of 16. Interestingly, his first-round opponent there was Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 16th seed, whom Altmaier beat in straight sets (7:6, 6:3) after coming through qualifying.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Despite currently holding the 30th spot in the ATP rankings, Felix Auger-Aliassime has failed to deliver any meaningful results in recent months. In addition to his Monte Carlo loss to Daniel Altmaier, he was knocked out in the second round in Madrid. That early elimination saw him drop eight places in the rankings, a major setback considering he had reached the final there last year. Following that disappointment, he chose to skip the Rome event altogether.
Daniel Altmaier vs Felix Auger-Aliassime Prediction
So why is Daniel Altmaier still considered the underdog, despite his recent head-to-head win and Felix Auger-Aliassime’s poor form? We feel the odds are misleading here. Daniel Altmaier leads their head-to-head (2-0), and factoring in his momentum and the support of the home crowd, backing the German looks like the more reasonable choice.
