Five matches feature on day 1 of the ATP Delray Beach Open in sunny Florida as the spring North American hard-court season continues. Four American players will be in action on the day, how many will advance to the next round?

Nuno Borges vs Coleman Wong

Nuno Borges reached the third round in Melbourne but lost both his Davis Cup matches. Consistency is a problem for the Portuguese player who has managed to carve out a solid career. Borges turns 29 this week. Coleman Wong already came through qualifying, over his career he’s 19-17 at tour level but better on the Challenger Tour. Given the difference in form, I expect Wong to keep up his winning ways and pull an upset. Prediction: Wong in 3

Patrick Kypson vs Terence Atmane

Patrick Kypson won their only h2h meeting, Atmane is near a career high ranking but hasn’t won a match this season. Kypson was a lucky loser in Dallas, and a semifinalist in the San Diego Challenger. The sunshine seems to suit Kypson, despite a poor 3-10 record at tour level at age 26. Kypson is effectively a late bloomer on tour, but this is a winnable opening matchup. Prediction: Kypson in 2

Valentin Vacherot vs Alex Michelsen

Michelsen’s semifinal in Brisbane was a tremendous start to the season but he’s been unable to sustain it, falling to 5-5 on the year. Vacherot has proven to be far from a one hit wonder, and another solid tournament run would push him into the top 20 for the first time ever. As he tries to build up a rankings buffer before the Asian swing at the end of the year, he’s already 6-4 on the season, that’s more ATP wins than he had from 2022-2024 combined. Vacherot is a big time player now. Prediction: Vacherot in 2

Sho Shimabukuro vs Marcos Giron

Giron was a semifinalist in both Hong Kong and Auckland, at 32-years-old he’s playing quality tennis. His last two losses have come against American opponents. Shimabukuro has qualified in Dallas and Delray Beach consecutively; he has just 5 career ATP wins. Playing on home soil should suit Giron who looks likely to return to his winning ways. Prediction: Giron in 2

Rinky Hijikata vs Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe vs Rinky Hijikata is a matchup we’ve seen twice before, and they split h2h meetings with Tiafoe winning at the US Open in 2023. 4-4 to start the year, there’s not much exciting to say about Tiafoe’s current form, he’s run into quality opponents and lost matches he badly wanted to win. Hijikata already came through qualifying after a difficult time in the Davis Cup on clay. He was also a challenger quarterfinalist after a credible turn at home in Australia (5-6 on the season). This matchup will be close, but playing stateside should boost Tiafoe. Prediction: Tiafoe in 3

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