Main-draw action starts on Sunday at the ATP Belgrade Open. Amongst those set to take to the courts are two of the brightest young talents that Serbia has produced in recent years: Hamad Medjedovic and Marko Topo. How will the youngsters fare against tour-level regulars?
ATP Belgrade Open
Tennys Sandgren vs Jeremy Chardy
Head-to-head: Sandgren 1-0 Chardy
Jeremy Chardy was enjoying a resurgence year on the ATP circuit but the Frenchman’s brilliant form took a bit of a hit once the clay-court season rolled around. He’s still doing much better than Tennys Sandgren though as the American won just one match in five events on the dirt. Chardy has been particularly impressive in pressure moments this season and as this match is expected to be fairly close, that should come in handy.
Prediction: Chardy in 3
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Pedja Krstin vs Kwon Soon-woo
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kwon Soon-woo hasn’t played since the previous Belgrade event but before taking a break, the South Korean was outperforming his usual clay expectations by far. Pedja Krstin is fairly talented and usually would have the ability to keep up with Kwon, but he’s also on a rather terrible streak in 2021, winning just two matches in seven events. He also recently gave a walkover at a 15K event in Prijedor.
Prediction: Kwon in 2
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Marko Topo vs Federico Coria
Head-to-head: first meeting
Marko Topo is a promising Serbian youngster, who recently took a set off Alessandro Giannessi in Belgrade Challenger qualifying. He got really nervous towards the end of the match though, which doesn’t bode well for his chances coming into this one. It’s not like Federico Coria has been playing particularly well of late but it seems like at this stage of Topo’s career, he’s probably not ready quite yet.
Prediction: Coria in 2
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Hamad Medjedovic vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
This 17-year-old might be ready though, the only problem is that he’s facing a much tougher opponent. Hamad Medjedovic recently scored wins over top 200 players like Daniel Elahi Galan and Oscar Otte, showing little fear in finishing these tough competitors off in style. Filip Krajinovic will be coming in a little cold with a three-match losing streak. However, in the case of players whose great asset is consistency, upsetting them is usually slightly tougher. Medjedovic has a decent chance but he would need to be absolutely on top of his still not fully-developed game.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 3
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