With the home star Grigor Dimitrov out of the tournament, it will be interesting to watch who the crowd gets behind as we will see the rest of the second round played out. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win? We also have predictions for matches featuring Holger Rune.
ATP Sofia Day 4 Predictions
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Marc-Andrea Huesler
Head-to-head: first meeting
No matter what Carreno Busta does for the rest of the season, it will be a definite success either way. The 31-year-old won the seventh and biggest ATP title of his career in Montreal, Carreno Busta’s first Masters 1000 title. After a bye in the first round, the Spaniard will play his first match since the US Open. His opponent will be Huesler, Switzerland’s No. 1 player as he broke into the Top 100 this season. The 26-year-old had a slow start to his season but got going on altitude clay in Mexico, winning Challenger titles in Mexico City and Aguascalientes in April. Huesler also found some main tour success in Winston-Salem, reaching the semifinals as a qualifier. Coming into Sofia, the Swiss lost four of his last five matches but got a win over Geoffrey Blancaneaux in the opener. Carreno Busta should be a level above what Huesler is showing at the moment so expect the Spaniard to make a successful start here.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 2
Aleksandar Vukic vs Fernando Verdasco
Head-to-head: first meeting
Outside of a Challenger title in Bangalore, Vukic has struggled this season. The Australian is 9-14 on the year outside of India but hopes to recapture some form on indoor hard. Last week he reached the quarterfinals of Columbus, getting back-to-back wins for the first time since February, albeit against weak opposition. This week, Vukic took out tour veteran Fabio Fognini and will now take on the even more experienced Verdasco. The 38-year-old has got a winning record on the year which came as a surprise after he went 10-20 in 2021. Verdasco’s level has rarely been high this season but he has managed to get wins regardless. This is probably one of the weaker matches left in the draw but I see the former Top 10 player coming out on top here.
Prediction: Verdasco in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Nuno Borges
Head-to-head: first meeting
The top seed in Sofia and champion of the last two editions enters the Bulgarian capital as the player to beat. Sinner has been incredibly consistent at getting to the late stages of major events, reaching the second week at all four slams and quarterfinals at three of them as well as Rome, Monte Carlo and Miami. The Italian played one of the best matches of the season at the US Open against Carlos Alcaraz but ultimately has just one 250 title under his belt for the year, defeating the Spaniard in the Umag final. Borges has also had a strong year, breaking into Top 100 while getting to the main draw in all three slams he played this season (though once as a lucky loser). The 25-year-old’s form has petered out in the last two weeks, taking a tough loss to Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida at the Braga Challenger and now dropping a set to a struggling Mirza Basic in the first round. Expect Sinner to make a strong first step towards a title defence here.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
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