Tuesday’s schedule at the ATP Belgrade Open features three former top 10 players as well as some exciting young guns. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate on day three, but who will book their spot in the second round in the Serbian capital?
ATP Belgrade Day 3 Predictions
Roman Safiullin vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: Safiullin 1-0 Fognini
Roman Safiullin was on song last week in Bratislava last week, winning one of the most stacked Challengers of the season without dropping a set. Despite having to face players such as Marc-Andrea Huesler or Kei Nishikori, the Russian only dropped his serve twice during the entire week. This should grant him a lot of momentum for this run and he already defeated Fabio Fognini in Chengdu recently. It would take an amazing effort from the veteran to save some of the points he gained this time last year (Metz semifinal).
Prediction: Safiullin in 2
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Hamad Medjedovic
Head-to-head: Medjedovic 1-0 Kovacevic
This season didn’t go according to plan for Hamad Medjedovic, who was expected to make the jump to the main tour after his Next Gen ATP Finals title. Instead, the Serbian was suffering from a serious illness at the beginning of the season and never really got going. But maybe this is the event. He defeated Brandon Nakashima in the opening round and should like his chances against another American here. His deadly serve will seriously test the Aleksandar Kovacevic backhand return and it’s not like the 26-year-old has been winning matches left and right.
Prediction: Medjedovic in 2
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Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Lukas Klein
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been a season of missed opportunities for Lukas Klein with some scandalously good performances (especially against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open) and plenty of matches he couldn’t quite close out. It would be pretty ironic if he had a big run now that the Top 100 chance seems long gone. But it’s well within his ability to take down Tomas Martin Etcheverry indoors. The Slovak’s playstyle is extremely imposing when he kicks things off with a big serve and closes down the net.
Prediction: Klein in 3
Marin Cilic vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-head: first meeting
While it was clear during his Hangzhou run that Marin Cilic’s game was still mostly intact, the 36-year-old lost his rhythm soon after and hadn’t won another match until arriving at the ATP Belgrade Open. His level against Alexandre Muller looked very solid though and this match against Jiri Lehecka is a tough to call as a result. On the one hand, the Czech has so much potential and was recently in the Antwerp final. At his best, he would surely be the favourite. But he’s been struggling physically since Antwerp and has been nowhere near as sharp as a result. Maybe this is a good moment for Cilic to step it up again.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
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Stan Wawrinka vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: Wawrinka 2-0 Djere
Both players likely won’t finish in the top 100 now with Laslo Djere still on his way back after an injury earlier in the season. Stan Wawrinka was barely winning matches until the indoor swing, suddenly regaining his form around Stockholm/Basel. But even his appearance in Bratislava last week showcased some issues as the Swiss got dragged around the court by Dino Prizmic. If he can keep points nice and snappy against Djere here, the veteran might win this by overpowering the Serbian from the baseline. But he must avoid being dragged into long baseline exchanges.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 3
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
