The second edition of the Almaty has brought many prominent players to Kazakhstan’s largest city. Day 3 features a host of intriguing matchups, including No. 5 seed Brandon Nakashima vs Fabian Marozsan. As always, we at LWOT have the preview and prediction for all matches on the slate. But who will advance?
ATP Almaty Day 3 Predictions
Flavio Cobolli vs Rinky Hijikata
Head-to-Head: Cobolli 1-0 Hijikata
The young Italian has played some terrific tennis over the last 18 months, vaulting himself into the top 25 players in the world. He already has two titles this year and has to favor his chances to add to that at ATP Almaty. Lucky Loser Rinky Hijikata did well to get by Skatov in Round 1, but he does not possess the firepower to hit through Cobolli. I’ll take the Italian in a straight-forward two-setter.
Prediction: Cobolli in 2
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-Head: Struff 1-0 McDonald
Jan-Lennard Struff got the better of McDonald in the first round of the 2025 US Open en route to a Round of 16 run, as the 35-year-old has shown very few signs of slowing down. His elite serve and first-strike tennis suits the grounds of ATP Almaty well. McDonald is coming off a run to the Jinan Challenger final and should feel confident in the current state of his game. I expect an entertaining back-and-forth battle but give the German a slight edge.
Prediction: Struff in 3
Brandon Nakashima vs Fabian Marozsan
Head-to-Head: first meeting
The nightcap on Center Court at ATP Almaty features the first meeting between No. 5 seed Brandon Nakashima and Fabian Marozsan. The American is a few strong season-ending results from being seeded at the 2026 Australian Open. His improved serve has lent itself to a ton of success in the early rounds of tournaments. I am a big fan of Marozsan’s game and believe he is on the cusp of a massive breakthrough, but in this match, I give Nakashima’s consistency the edge.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski – USA TODAY Sports