Day 4 of the ATP Sofia Open sees top seed Jannik Sinner enter the fray as he looks to defend his title. Alongside him are some fascinating matchups, three of which will be included in a separate article. We will be offering up our predictions on who will be making the quarterfinals.
ATP Sofia Day 4 Predictions
John Millman vs Illya Marchenko
Head-to-head: First meeting
The first official meeting between these two long standing players of the tour. They played twice in the Australian Open qualifying back in 2010 and 2009, where they both grabbed a win. Due to them not playing each other for 10 years and never in a main draw match, there’s little to take from their previous encounters.
Both men have picked up some nice form this week, with Marchenko having a strong run through qualifying. Millman comfortably took down the dangerous Mikael Ymer in straight sets, and glimpses of his best tennis are certainly still there. The Aussie loves the hard courts, though the courts in Sofia this week are bizarrely slow. Marchenko has already defeated Seppi and Cecchinato and is always an extremely tough customer. I won’t be surprised if this goes the distance, but Millman is just that more resilient and solid of the two which will make the difference.
Prediction: Millman in 3
Filip Krajinovic vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: Krajinovic 3 – 0 Djere
This matchup certainly favors the Serb. Krajinovic plays his best tennis predominantly on hard courts, and does so well. Though he is yet to win an ATP title, he is a Masters 1000 finalist, which came in Paris 2017. Though the courts this week aren’t as fast as he’d like, he should still be rewarded with his powerful game.
Laslo Djere is far more suited to clay, and this doesn’t look too promising for him. Krajinovic has beaten him three times without dropping a set, and none of these sets were very competitive. Even on clay, the Serb has dominated. Djere unfortunately doesn’t have the weapons or consistency to deal with his opponent here. I don’t see this match being all too different to previous encounters. Krajinovic should win this, and win it fairly comfortably too.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 2
Jannik Sinner vs Egor Gerasimov
Head-to-head: Sinner 1 – 0 Gerasimov
Jannik Sinner will be looking to impose himself early on here, as he is the defending champion and top seed after all. The 20 year old has been up and down in recent months, but his talent is still clear to see. As one of the cleanest hitters and most impressive shot makers on tour, he should really be winning this title.
Gerasimov did an incredible job of coming through a tight encounter with Vasek Pospisil, where he showed immense resolve to save a match point in the second set tiebreak, winning comfortably in the third. However, this will be a huge step up. Pospisil can be wildly inconsistent and Sinner will not be offering that sort of match. Though the young Italian makes his share of mistakes, he is absolutely lethal when timing the ball well. Expect the world #14 to come through this – maybe with some slight hiccups along the way.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
