Action continues in Astana (or Nur-Sultan if you prefer the new name) with plenty of exciting matches on the slate on day three. The 28-strong draw consists of rising talents and veterans of the tour alike, all looking to end 2021 on a good note. We have seven matches scheduled including both round of 32 and round of 16 matches. As ever at LWOT, we are offering ours previews and prediction for all seven matches including Laslo Djere vs Lorenzo Musetti. But who will advance?
ATP Astana Day 3 Predictions
Round of 32
Ricardas Berankis vs Carlos Taberner
Head-to-head: First Meeting
This should be interesting purely because neither carry any momentum into this match whatsoever. Ricardas Berankis has been on the tour for quite some time now and has at times punched above his weight without ever fulfilling the potential his journey career pointed to. The Lithuanian is a solid baseliner, but his serve lets him down at crucial moments. Still Berankis is a joy to watch when he’s on song and the faster the court, the better his chances. Carlos Taberner hasn’t quite translated his clay-court talent to the faster surfaces so expect him to struggle to get past Berankis.
Prediction: Berankis in 2
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Evgeny Donskoy vs Kwon Soonwoo
Head-to-head: first Meeting
Evgeny Donskoy is perhaps best known for his win over a red-hot Roger Federer in 2017 in Dubai. If nothing else, that demonstrated that the Russian is a tricky opponent on his day and Soonwoo Kwon will need to be wary of that. The South Korean is just 23-years-old and has the potential to be the next face of tennis from Asia after the likes of Kei Nishikori. There’s lots to like about Kwon and how he handles himself on court. Donskoy has done well to come through qualifiers but the young South Korean is the better defender and better at constructing points. That should be enough for him to pick up the win.
Prediction: Kwon in 3
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James Duckworth vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Head-to-head: first meeting
Mikhail Kukushkin has had an abysmal 2021 so far. The Kazakh is 3-11 this year and even though he’s 33-years-old, he’s better than that. James Duckworth, in contrast, comes into this match on the back of winning the challenger event in Istanbul and that surely puts him in a better headspace than Kukushkin. The Australian is currently sitting at a career-high world #65 after all. Expect Duckworth to be more consistent from the baseline and to be able at get the Kazakh out of position to give him more opportunities to close out the point. Duckworth moves on.
Prediction: Duckworth in 2
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Benjamin Bonzi vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-head: Bonzi 1-0 Ruusuvuori
Benjamin Bonzi has been on a hot streak since the US Open. The Frenchman has won three back-to-back Challenger events post New York and that makes him a dangerous floater in the draw for everyone. Emil Ruusuvuori is another player to watch out for in the future and has put decent results recently. He also reached the semifinals in Winston-Salem before bowing out in the second round at the US Open. But as well as he has played, Bonzi has also played a lot of tennis the past three weeks and that can take its toll. Expect Bonzi to fade away as the match progresses and the fresher Ruusuvuori to get the win with his exciting brand of aggressive tennis.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 3
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