Two-time former Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov gets his 2026 campaign underway against Spain\u2019s Pablo Carreno Busta at the ATP 250 in Brisbane, with both men working their way up the rankings. Who will advance?<\/p>\n
ATP Brisbane Day 3 Predictions
\nDenis Shapovalov vs Raphael Collignon<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: first round<\/p>\n
Shapovalov is coming off a resurgent season<\/a> in which he climbed into the Top 30 and will be seeded at the Australian Open<\/a>. Raphael Collignon was one of the most improved players on the Challenger Tour<\/a> last season. He won 31 of 40 matches at that level and lifted two titles. The 23-year-old Belgian went on to achieve a Top 100 year-end ranking for the first time. There are usual caveats with Shapovalov. His form and ball strike can be volatile, and historically, he hasn\u2019t made quick starts to a season. Still, if he keeps the errors reasonably low, he should ease into the second round. Rinky Hijikata vs Adam Walton<\/p>\n Head-to-head: Walton 2-0 Hijikata<\/p>\n Walton\u2019s last visit to Brisbane was a successful one. He won the Brisbane 3 Challenger last February. The 26-year-old enjoys a 2-0 head-to-head lead over countryman Rinky Hijikata. Hijikata was a quarterfinalist in Brisbane two seasons ago and won the Playford Challenger on home soil less than two months ago. He extended his winning streak to six matches after coming through qualifying at the weekend. But Hijikata\u2019s floor can drop quickly, and Walton\u2019s more assured serve and forehand should edge this. Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Cameron Norrie vs Ugo Humbert<\/p>\n Head-to-head: Humbert 2-1 Norrie<\/p>\n Norrie finished 2025 with a runner-up finish in Metz. He was consistent for most of the second half of last season, with a quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon<\/a> constituting another great achievement. The same can be said of Humbert, who reached the final in Stockholm and the semifinal in Basel before his season was brought to a premature end because of a back injury. But Humbert doesn\u2019t have any reported fitness concerns after playing a couple of matches at the Macau Exhibition, and if he\u2019s regained match sharpness, he should be favored to progress. Grigor Dimitrov vs Pablo Carreno Busta<\/p>\n Head-to-head: Dimitrov 5-3 Carreno Busta<\/p>\n Dimitrov is one of the most decorated players in the history of this tournament. He\u2019s played in three finals and won the title twice. In each of his last nine visits, he has never lost a first-round match and was a semifinalist 12 months ago. But his excellent track record in Brisbane will be put to the test as he makes his comeback from injury (he only lasted one match upon his return from a pectoral injury<\/a> at the Paris Masters). Carreno Busta has suffered his fair share of injury problems in two of the last three years, before enjoying a decent spell of good health last season. Dimitrov has been passed fit to play, and on his best day, he\u2019s got the more potent toolkit to win this match. 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Prediction: Shapovalov in 2<\/p>\n
Prediction: Walton in 3<\/p>\n
Prediction: Humbert in 3<\/p>\n
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3<\/p>\n