Round of 16 action continues on Day 4 at the Antalya Open with four men already securing quarterfinal spots, without any major upsets on Day 3. Here are previews for the remaining four battles and predicting who will move on.
ATP Antalya Open Day 4 Predictions
Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head to head – First Meeting
In the battle of the NextGen, two young rising stars try to build up much-needed steam for Wimbledon in what would be an enticing matchup. Both players looked so assured beating tricky opponents in round one coming through in two straightforward sets. On current form in the grass court swing, both would have liked to have performed better with the Serb Kecmanovic bowing out in the first round at Halle while Humbert went out at the same stage at Rosmalen. There’s very little to choose between the two but on the back of his bigger lefty serve and aggressive groundstrokes, the Frenchman is to be favored.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kevin Krawietz
Head to head – First Meeting
2019 hasn’t been Pablo Carreno Busta’s ally so far. He holds a win-loss record of 6-8, clearly out of sync with the talent the Spaniard owns. He finds himself ranked #59 currently, and this match will be his first grass-court match of the year. Busta, a heavy baseliner, doesn’t seem to match what a grass court demands but the Spaniard has always shown a heart to fight and would want to go down doing that.
The Spaniard is probably still remembered for his outburst at the Australian Open this year, a title at Antalya would go a long way in eclipsing that. His opponent, doubles specialist Kevin Krawietz isn’t going to make this match a cakewalk with his serve and frequent visits to the net. Busta would have to hit a lot of passing shots and close out points at the net himself. The German came through qualifying and would be eager to cause an upset but the Spaniard looks just about alright to start his grass court campaign with a win.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 3
Bernard Tomic vs Peter Gojowczyk
Head to head – First Meeting
Bernard Tomic certainly did his chances a world of good, knocking out Andreas Seppi in three sets. The Australian fired 24 aces and saved 11 out of 13 break points, highlighting his serve was on song. Tomic now faces the German Peter Gojowczyk for the first time and he’ll like his chances. Gojowczyk notched up his first grass court win of the season albeit again the Turkish wildcard Kirkin in three sets. The Australian’s game naturally suits well for grass on the back of his huge serve and extremely flat groundstrokes. It’s tough to see Gojowczyk possessing any weapons that’ll hurt Tomic.
Prediction: Tomic in 2
Benoit Paire vs Victor Troicki
Head to head – Paire 1-0 Troicki
The first seed here at Antalya, Benoit Paire takes to the court for the first time against the Serbian Victor Troicki. Paire is enjoying a good year having already racked up two titles and will be yearning for his first grass-court title. The Frenchman has been dealt a favorable draw but he’d be wary of the threat Troicki poses. The Serb reached the Round of 16 via qualifiers, something he’d be beaming about since this is just his fourth main draw match at the ATP level this year. Troicki has the firepower on his serve but the lack of quality opponents just creates a seed of doubt as to how he’ll take on Benoit Paire who is definitely a step up. The Frenchman who lost in the first round at Halle should be booking a quarterfinal spot here at Antalya.
Prediction: Paire in 3
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