Atlanta R1 previews and predictions: Coric vs. Kokkinakis, Karatsev vs. Harris

Borna Coric and Thanasi Kokkinakis headline the Tuesday order of play as first-round competition continues in Atlanta. Recent grass-court sensation Billy Harris qualified for the main draw and will face Aslan Karatsev.

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs. Borna Coric

Coric and Kokkinakis will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Atlanta Open on Tuesday afternoon. All three of their previous encounters have gone Coric’s way; 6-4, 7-6(4) at the 2022 Tokyo event, 6-4, 6-3 at the Davis Cup Finals a few weeks later, and 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 at the 2023 ATP 500 in Dubai.

The 84th-ranked Croat is just 8-12 this season, but he should like his chances on Monday. This is one of his favorite times of year, having made a run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2020 in addition to capturing the 2022 Cincinnati Masters title. Coric has struggled in 2024, but the story is the same for Kokkinakis. The 88th-ranked Australian withdrew from Queen’s Club qualifying, retired from a Wimbledon second-round match because of knee injury, and pulled out of his scheduled doubles match on Monday in Atlanta citing a hip problem. Even if Kokkinakis is good to go for this one, a clear edge goes to Coric.

Pick: Coric in 2

Aslan Karatsev vs. (Q) Billy Harris

Harris was a relative unknown on tour prior to this summer, but the grass-court swing changed that situation. The 114th-ranked Brit took full advantage of wild cards in both Queen’s Club (quarterfinals) and Eastbourne (semis) before successfully qualifying in Newport and reaching the second round. Maintaining his momentum, Harris also qualified in Atlanta by beating Nate Bonetto and Harold Mayot.

Up first for Harris in the main draw is Karatsev, who was one of many grass-court slippage victims and retired from his first-round match at Wimbledon against Karen Khachanov. Thus continued a nightmare of a 2024 campaign for the 107th-ranked Russian, who has won just a single match out of seven tries. Needless to say, this is a fantastic opportunity for Harris to continue his hot streak.

Pick: Harris in 3