ATP Tournament in Acapulco, 1st Round, Wednesday, 01.03.2023
A look at the list of winners reveals: The greats have already won here in Acapulco! From Monday onwards, the tournament will start in Mexico, and from a German point of view, there are of course hopes for a positive result.
The world number 95 has already been given the underdog role by Bet-at-Home in the 1st round. In my Altmaier Nakashima tip I now reveal why I expect a rather close result in this match!
It was two years ago that a German celebrated in Acapulco for the first and so far only time. Alexander Zverev won the title on Mexican soil, but this time he will miss out on one of his favourite tournaments.
While the Olympic champion is competing in Dubai these days, his colleagues will try to convince in Acapulco. Daniel Altmaier, just ranked among the best 100, will have a relatively hard time.
So far, his year 2023 has been marred by a lot of bad luck. Best example: The Australian Open, where he lost to Frances Tiafoe, an absolute top man, in the 1st round 3-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7.
A little later in Dallas he lost to John Isner, that can happen too. It remained close in Delray as well when Altmaier lost in three sets to Adrian Mannarino. At the Challenger in Monterrey, he reached the quarter-finals.
A good result in Acapulco would be surprising for the German despite many hopes, after all, a number of top stars compete here. Last year, Altmaier played among the big names for the first time.
His first match in the main draw was also his last, against Cameron Norrie he lost 6-7, 2-6. Now his opponent is also better placed, but nevertheless much weaker than the Briton was then.
Brandon Nakashima is number 49 in the world, has never met Daniel Altmaier before. Based on the rankings, he’s ahead with our bettors, with the average odds creating a 1.40 to 3.00.
Definitely a lead, but not one that virtually determines the winner before the match even starts. Nakashima is 21 years old and will be competing in Acapulco for the third time in a row.
In 2021, his debut, he narrowly lost to Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6, 6-7. A year later, the draw gave him a duel with a German, which unfortunately did not have a happy outcome.
He was eliminated 4-6, 4-6 by Peter Gojowczyk, so now it’s back to a rival in black-red-gold. His triumph at the Next Generations Finals at the end of 2022 showed impressively what he is capable of.
So far, however, he has not managed to build on these achievements. His Australian Open was over as early as possible, and the result against Mackenzie McDonald was unparalleled in terms of bad luck.
6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6, 4-6, it didn’t have to be that way. The US American then took a break and will now return to the court in Acapulco. There is still one bad omen to be found: Altmaier is ranked 95th in the world. This is exactly the same rank Gojowczyk occupied in 2022!
My Altmaier Nakashima Tip
Daniel Altmaier is hoping for a positive result in Acapulco, but quite a few assume that the tournament will be over for him after just one match. Brandon Nakashima, however, is not one of the absolute top starters.
I see the US American just ahead, but Altmaier can always be expected to put up a great fight. That’s why I’m going with the following tip in the end:
We see more than 22.5 Games!
