Some of the first round action at the 2023 Kitzbuhel Open will see Daniel Altmaeir of Germany, take on Marc-Andrea Huesler and Luca van Assche of France play Alex Molcan of Slovakia. Get the latest predictions along with the odds, preview and head to head for these matches along with Roberto Carballes-Baena v Guido Pella and Dusan Lajovic v Zhizhen Zhang.
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Daniel Altmaier v Marc-Andrea Huesler Preview
Head-to-Head: They have played each other twice before, both matches taking place on clay. Altmaier won their Challenger match in Geneva in 2021, and again their first round match at Roland Garros earlier this year. Both victories were by straight sets.
It was his form on the Challenger tour two years ago that first brought Altmaier to prominence, and he continues to enjoy success at that level, winning a clay court event in the USA in April.
On the main tour he reached the third round of the French Open for the second time in his career, and got to the quarter-finals in Madrid losing to Borna Coric.
He reached the last eight again last week on home soil in Hamburg, eventually losing to Zhizhen Zhang of China.
Huesler has won four Challenger titles on clay, whilst his one senior success, also on the surface, came in the doubles of the Swiss Open two years ago.
But it has been a season to forget so far for the Swiss player, with a string of early tournament exits behind him.
He has lost his last four matches, including first round defeats in Wimbledon, Gstaad, and last week, in Umag.
A win is much needed, if only to boost his own morale.
Huesler is in the middle of a disappointing season, and although Altmaier can be inconsistent, if he plays near his true level, he should advance.
Altmaier v Huesler Tip: Altmaeier to win: 8/11
Luca van Assche v Alex Molcan Preview
Head-to-Head: The pair have never played each other before. This will be the first match between the 19-year old Frenchman, and the Slovakian, who is six years older.
This has been something of a breakthrough year for the French teenager van Assche, who has already won twice on the Challenger tour, picking up titles on the hard courts of Pau, and the clay of Sanremo.
That has helped him break into the top 100, and also saw him win his first Grand Slam match at the French Open (he is a former junior champion there).
And he showed his potential by reaching the quarter-finals in Hamburg last week, beating Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina along the way, before suffering a straight sets defeat at the hands of Alexander Zverev.
It has been a hugely disappointing season so far for Molcan, whom, having reached three clay court finals in the past two years, would have been looking to move up the rankings, and begin winning tournaments.
Instead, the Slovakian has been moving the wrong way, although there have been some highlights. They included reaching the third round of both Indian Wells and Miami, and the last four in Banja Luka.
However, he has lost his last five competitive matches, with first round defeats at Wimbledon, Bastad and Hamburg included in that sequence.
Based on form this year, van Assche must start as the favourite. He is on an upward trajectory, whilst Molcan, unfortunately for him, appears heading in the opposite direction.
Van Assche v Molcan Tip: Van Assche to win: 7/11
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Roberto Carballes-Baena v Guido Pella Preview
Head-to-Head: The pair have played each other three times before, and Pella leads their head to head series by two matches to one.
The Argentine has won both of their two meetings on clay, in Lima in 2014 and again in Sao Paolo in 2019. Sandwiched between them was a win for Carballes-Baena on the hard courts of Winston-Salem.
In April Carballes-Baena won the second major title of his career on Marrakesh, and he would have had hopes of adding the Umag Open to his collection last week, after reaching the semi-finals.
Unfortunately for him, he found the Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka in resurgent form, and he was beaten in straight sets.
It means that he has failed to win more than two matches in any tournament since reaching the third round in Rome, He would like to improve on that record in Austria.
Pella is still playing off a Protected Ranking after taking time away from the tour to deal with injury and health issues. So far, he has yet to discover the form that saw him reach five clay court finals before his problems, although his only victory remains Brazil in 2019.
Surprisingly, his best performance so far this year came on grass at Wimbledon, where he reached the third round.
That is the only time this year he has been beyond the second round of an event, a sequence that continued last week in Hamburg with a second round defeat to Laslo Djere, although he did take the Serb to three sets.
Although Pella has the better head to head record, all of their previous matches came before his lay-off. He has not looked the same player since his return, and Carballes-Baena will be confident of getting the better of him.
Carballes-Baena v Pella Tip: Carballes-Baena to win: 7/11
Dusan Lajovic v Zhizhen Zhang Preview
Head-to-Head: They have met once before and that was at the French Open this year. Zhang was leading by a set and a break when Lajovic was forced to retire with an injury.
Lajovic ended his wait for a second ATP title two months ago in Banja Luka, where he bear Andrey Rublev in the final in three sets.
However, he would have been disappointed with the results in the clay court tournaments that followed, with first round defeats in Rome and Geneva, and that early exit from the French Open.
His competitive stay on grass lasted only as long as a first round defeat at Wimbledon, but he has struggled to find his feet again on clay, losing in the first round of Bastad, and the second in Hamburg.
This has been a year to remember for Zhang on clay.
In Madrid he became the first Chinese player ever to reach a Masters’ quarter-final, and, in beating Taylor Fritz, recorded his first ever win over a top ten player.
And then, at the French Open, he became the first man from his country to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since 1937.
His exploits continued in Hamburg last week, where he reached his maiden ATP semi-final, before his run was finally ended by the Serb, Laslo Djere, in straight sets.
Based on recent form alone, Zhang will start favourite. He continues to perform consistently on clay, whilst Lajovic has struggled wince that win in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lajovic v Zhang Tip: Zhang to win 5/7
Three sets in the match: 6/4
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The 2023 Kitzbuhel Open will be played from July 31 to August 6. Get our ultimate guide on tennis betting and predictions here.
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