The ATP Cordoba Open final features an excellent matchup between two top players, although they may not be household names. Home favorite Diego Schwartzman is the tournament’s top seed and reached the final having dropped just one set. Chilean Christian Garin has started slowly this week but has dug deep and one back-to-back three setters to reach the final as the #3 seed. While Schwarzman and Garin are ranked No. 14 and 31 in the world respectively, both players, especially Garin, play their best tennis on clay, making this sure to be an enthralling final.
Cordoba Open Final Prediction
Christian Garin vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: 3-2 Schwartzman
Christian Garin shockingly would tie Diego Schwartzman in career titles if he wins Sunday. Schwartzman has had an incredibly consistent career, but has struggled to win titles with a 3-4 career record in ATP finals. The 23-year-old Garin has already reached three tour-level finals and won two of them, all on clay, and all coming in 2019. The clay courts slightly favor Garin, but Schwartzman will be playing in his home country with the crowd on his side. When Garin plays his best tennis, he is really tough to beat, while Schwartzman tends to always be a difficult match for any opponent.
The somewhat similar games of the two South Americans will make for an interesting match. Both play high-energy tennis, and have the ability to place shots exactly where they want them. Garin has a stronger serve, but Schwartzman has an incredible return, winning 31.2% of return games over the past 52 weeks, second only to Rafael Nadal. Breaks of serve will surely be common, and the winner of this match will likely be the player who can control unforced errors and outlast the other in rallies. Garin has lost the first set of his last two matches by a large margin, but he cannot start slow against Schwartzman who will be a huge challenge to come back from. Overall, this match is near a toss-up, but Schwartzman’s game is more suited for the type of tennis that will be played and he will win a close battle.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
