Damir Dzumhur meets Federico Delbonis in the first round of the 2021 Great Ocean Road Open on Monday, February 1st 2021. Will we see the Dzumhur which was able to steal a set off of Roger Federer at the US Open in 2019, or will Federico Delbonis put on a show to prove he should have been chosen as part of Team Argentina’s ATP Cup selection?
Damir Dzumhur has not been heard of or seen of in recent months, and has mainly been playing in very small Challenger Tour tournaments. This is the complete opposite of his second half of the season in 2019, which saw him compete well in these ATP 250 tournaments, but also compete on the big stage, such as the US Open, where he reached the second round, and was able to win the first set against Roger Federer. Dzumhur loves being an underdog, and proving people wrong, but will his lack of recent play prevent him from being competitive here from the get go?
Federico Delbonis will be very unhappy that he was not selected as part of Team Argentina’s ATP Cup squad, even if it was to be a replacement player in case of injury, or a doubles player. Delbonis is a very talented player, and some might say he has performed much better than the No.2 Argentinian player playing at the ATP Cup, Guido Pella, over 2020. Delbonis will have a chip on his shoulder coming out here, and I am sure he will want to put on a show to prove the doubters wrong.
This is going to be the first meeting between both players, and unfortunately for Damir Dzumhur, this is not going to be a contest for him. Delbonis is a tough player to come up against, and he has shown that in 2020 against some of the best players like Rafael Nadal. Delbonis is a lefty, which always hurts right-handed players, and this plus the chip on his shoulder, will make Federico a very determined player to make the later stages here. Federico Delbonis to win and reach the second round of the Great Ocean Road Open.