Munich Open 2023 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Alexander Zverev vs Christopher O'Connell

The third day of main draw action at the Munich Open on Wednesday, April 19, will feature one first-round and two second-round matches. One seed, two qualifiers and a wild-card will be in action.

On a busy second day of competition at the ATP 250 claycourt event, eight first-round matches were played. Two of the three seeds, Marc-Andrea Huesler and Lorenzo Sonego, in action emerged victorious, while Sebastian Baez fell by the wayside.

Eighth seed Huesler beat Kyle Edmund, while sixth seed Sonego saw off Frenchman Quentin Halys in three hard-fought sets. The fifth-seeded Baez, though, fell to German Oscar Otte in straight sets.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the three matches on the third day of the Munich Open could pan out:

#1 Round of 32: Aslan Karatsev vs Daniel Altmaier

Aslan Karatsev

Qualifier Aslan Karatsev takes on German wildcard Daniel Altmaier for a place in the Munich Open second round.

The World No. 129 has won only three of his nine matches this season. He's on a six-match losing streak since reaching the Pune semifinals at the start of the year. Karatsev - making his Munich debut - is coming off a defeat in Marrakech.

Meanwhile, the 93rd-ranked Altmaier hasn't fared much better - winning only one of his eight matches in 2023. He did win the Sarasota Challenger, though. The German is 1-1 in Munich.

The two players haven't met before, but Altmaier should take this one.

Pick: Altmaier in straight sets

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#2 Round of 16: Alexander Zverev (two-time Munich winner) vs Christopher O'Connell

Christopher O'Connell

Third seed Alexander Zverev opens his campaign against Australian Christopher O'Connell.

The 16th-ranked Zverev is 10-10 on the season, coming off a Round of 16 showing in Monte-Carlo last week. The two-time winner (2017 and 2018) is 14-6 in the tournament. Zverev lost in the second round last year.

Meanwhile, World No. 82 O'Connell beat Ugo Humbert in the first round to improve to 6-7 on the season. The Australian is making his tournament debut.

Zverev won his lone meeting with O'Connell in Dubai this year and should triumph again.

Pick: Zverev in straight sets

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#3 Round of 16: Oscar Otte vs Flavio Cobolli

Oscar Otte

Oscar Otte takes on qualifier Flavio Cobolli for a place in the quarterfinals.

The 94th-ranked Otte improved to 4-8 in 2023 by beating fifth seed Sebastian Baez. Meanwhile, World No. 208 Cobolli is 2-1 on the season after beating Jordan Thompson in the first round.

The two players haven't met before, but expect Otte to take this one.

Pick: Otte in straight sets