Argentina Open: Musetti vs Cachin Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Argentina Open as Lorenzo Musetti takes on Pedro Cachin in the second round on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

After his surprise exit at the Australian Open, Lorenzo Musetti will kick off his South America Golden Swing adventure in Bueno Aires. He takes on home favorite Pedro Cachin. Who will prevail and advance into the last eight at the Argentina Open?

Lorenzo Musetti returns to action on the red clay in Buenos Aires looking to bounce back from his disappointing five-set loss to Lloyd Harris at last month’s Australian Open. Musetti had been troubled with a shoulder injury in the preceding days of the year’s first Major, and it is unknown whether his defeat to Harris had anything to do with that. But the Italian Next Gen star will be happy to resume competition on clay where he notched the biggest title of his career at the ATP500 in Hamburg last summer. Can he open up with a win on his Argentina Open debut against Pedro Cachin?

Pedro Cachin, meanwhile, ended his dismal run of five straight defeats in 2023 as he won his first-round match against Thiago Monteiro in straight sets. The Argentine was without a win since October on the ATP Tour, but served brilliantly and edged the Brazilian in a tight 7-6 6-4 win, that was also his maiden main draw win at the Argentina Open.

Lorenzo Musetti and Pedro Cachin have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Thursday’s match at the Argentina Open will be their first official meeting. Musetti is playing for the first time in almost a month, but I don’t expect him to have any issues of adapting to the red clay. He’s had a lot of success on this surface and his game naturally explodes when he plays on it. Cachin should be a tough cookie, given that he’s playing on home soil and will be looking to back his recent win on Monday. But the Italian young gun should have the weaponry to quell any threat.