Delray Beach Open 2025 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs James Duckworth

The first round will be wrapped up on Day 2 of the Delray Beach Open 2025 on Tuesday, February 11. Seventh seed Miomir Kecmanovic was the first player to book his spot in the second round with a routine win over Borna Gojo. Sixth seed Brandon Nakashima also joined him, as did former top 10 player Cameron Norrie.

Ethan Quinn was the only one to be pushed to three sets on the first day. In a match with plenty of twists and turns, he outlasted compatriot Tristan Boyer to beat him 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(2).

The remaining players will now aim to seal their spots in the second round on Tuesday. On that note, here's a look at the predictions for some of the singles matches lined up on Day 2 of the Delray Beach Open:

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#1. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs James Duckworth

Davidovich Fokina has a 5-4 record this year, with a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open being his best result. He beat Brandon Holt in the first round of last week's Dallas Open before losing to eighth seed Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets in the next round.

Duckworth has only one main draw win under his belt this season, which came in front of his home crowd at the Australian Open. He ousted Dominic Stricker in the first round and then lost to Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round. He failed to make it through the qualifying rounds in Dallas last week but got a second shot as a lucky loser. He failed to capitalize on it and lost to Casper Ruud in the first round.

Davidovich Fokina will be heavily favored to come through this clash. Duckworth hasn't beaten a player ranked in the top 80 since last August, and given his poor record this year, it will be an uphill battle for him to upstage the Spaniard.

Predicted winner: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

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#2. Yoshihito Nishioka vs Aleksandar Vukic

This will be Aleksandar Vukic's third appearance at the Delray Beach Open. (Photo: Getty)

A third-round showing at the Australian Open remains Vukic's highlight of the season thus far. After back-to-back five-set wins over Damir Dzumhur and Sebastian Korda, he fell to Jack Draper in another five-set marathon. He was shown the door by Ben Shelton in the first round of last week's Dallas Open.

Nishioka advanced to the quarterfinals in Dallas courtesy of wins over Brandon Nakashima and Frances Tiafoe. Unfortunately, an injury forced him to retire in the second set during his match against Ruud. It marked the first time he tallied consecutive wins at an ATP event since his title-winning run at the Atlanta Open in July last year.

Vukic leads Nishioka 2-0 in the head-to-head. Both of their previous matches have gone the distance. He won their most recent duel in Eastbourne last year and in Atlanta the year before. With his opponent dealing with an injury scare as well, the Aussie will fancy his chances of making a winning start at the Delray Beach Open.

Predicted winner: Aleksandar Vukic

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#3. Rinky Hijikata vs Bu Yunchaokete

Hijikata reached the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International as a lucky loser, his best result of the season thus far. He bowed out in the first round of the Australian Open and followed it up with a second-round exit from the Dallas Open.

Bu started the year on a dismal note as he failed to cross the opening hurdle of his first three tournaments. He finally stopped his losing skid with a quarterfinal showing at the Open Occitanie, going down to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. He then fell to Jaume Munar in the first round in Dallas.

Both players have a total of five wins between them, with Hijikata in the lead with three victories. He has given a better account of himself this year and also made the last eight of the Delray Beach Open, last year. As such, he will be expected to continue his journey here.

Predicted winner: Rinky Hijikata

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#4. Arthur Rinderknech vs Gabriel Diallo

Arthur Rinderknech will be making his debut at the Delray Beach Open. (Photo: Getty)

Rinderknech has been in dire form this season and has compiled a 1-5 record so far. He notched up his only win of the season in Montpellier, where he reached the second round. He recently took part in the Dallas Open and lost to his nemesis Taylor Fritz in the first round.

Diallo advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on his main draw debut, where he lost to Karen Khachanov in four sets. He also reached the second round of the Hong Kong Open prior to that. He was on Davis Cup duty after the season's first Major.

Diallo beat Fabian Marozsan in his first singles tie but came up short against Marton Fucsovics. Having won a couple more matches compared to the out-of-form Rinderknech, the young Canadian will be the favorite to win their first-round tussle at the Delray Beach Open.

Predicted winner: Gabriel Diallo