Conditions at the ATP Cordoba Open are certainly encouraging of long rallies and attritional matches. There have been a lot of swings in momentum as one has come to expect on the clay, especially early in the swing.
There are four singles matches on the order of play for Day 4. Read previews for all of the matches below.
ATP Cordoba Open Day 3 Predictions
Thiago Monteiro vs Roberto Carballes Baena
When I first started looking at this match I just thought it was going to be a tight match. However, Monteiro has beaten Carballes Baena four times from four encounters, including on last year’s Golden Swing in Santiago. The Spaniard was impressive in defeating Joao Sousa in round one but that was Sousa’s 12th first-round loss in a row. Monteiro is actually very consistent when he is favourite for the match and I expect him to find a way to win this one as well.
Prediction: Monteiro in 3
Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Cerundolo will be looking to avoid his brother’s fate from yesterday. Kecmanovic appears to be in South America at the behest of his new coach, David Nalbandian. The Serbian’s good serve should set him up well but this will be his first match on the continent and this looks like a very trappy encounter. Cerundolo, though young, has been brought up in this country and on these courts. This’ll be a tough assignment for Kecmanovic but his superior quality may just see him through.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 3
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Ramos-Vinolas won the battle of the out-of-form players in the last round but actually began to look in decent touch towards the end of the match. His left-handed serve out wide was working well and was hitting the forehand down the line with accuracy. If Ramos-Vinolas manages to get into a groove then he could outclass Etcheverry, but the Argentine is at the peak of his ranking right now and is proving very tough to beat. I am going to give the edge to Etcheverry to stay strong on serve and bring Ramos-Vinolas back down to his previous form.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 3
Diego Schwartzman vs Marco Cecchinato
The third match on the order of play on Thursday is when we finally get to see the #1 seed and overwhelming favorite for the title, Diego Schwartzman, on the enormous court of Cordoba. The dimensions of the court should play to the diminutive Argentinian’s strengths as he will have plenty of space to run around behind the baseline retrieving balls but also force his opponents back with his depth of groundstroke. Cecchinato is showing some signs of returning to form but the Italian should struggle with Schwartzman’s quality. If the Argentine hits the ground running here it should be a straight-sets victory.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
