It will be an all-Australian showdown when Alex de Minaur and Cruz Hewitt clash in round two of the Washington ATP 500 on Thursday. An all-lefty affair pits Alejandro Tabilo against Terence Atmane.
(1) Alex de Minaur vs. (Q) Cruz Hewitt
Hewitt, son of Lleyton, is suddenly starting to make a name for himself on the tennis scene. Recent junior success came in the form of a runner-up performance at Wimbledon, and the 17-year-old Aussie has made an immediate jump to the main tour. Having previously never played an ATP-level match, Hewitt got a wild card into qualifying and then received several strokes of good fortune with retirements from Dusan Lajovic and Zachary Svajda. Making good on his opportunity, the world No. 612 promptly stunned Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round.
Up next for Hewitt on Thursday is a first-ever showdown against De Minaur, who picked up a nice 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday afternoon. De Minaur had previously been 2-14 lifetime against Tsitsipas. The elder Hewitt has worked with the world No. 6 on plenty of occasions in the past (specifically at Davis Cup), so he can certainly offer his son some strategic pointers. Of course, the chances of such advice having a serious impact are extremely slim.
Pick: De Minaur in 2
Terence Atmane vs. Alejandro Tabilo
Tabilo and Atmane will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Thursday. Both left-handers battled to impressive victories in the opening round. Tabilo defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4; Atmane upset crowd favorite Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Although Atmane’s result came pretty much out of nowhere (he had been 1-8 in his last nine matches prior to arriving in the district), he should feel good about his chances in this one. The 56th-ranked Frenchman enjoyed his breakthrough tournament right around this time last year, making a run to the Cincinnati semifinals as a qualifier. Atmane’s heavy forehand jumps off a quick hard court in hot conditions — just as it did against Tiafoe, whom he bullied around the court in the second and third sets on Monday evening. Tabilo is a decent all-court player, but he would much rather face this particular opponent on clay.
Pick: Atmane in 3
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