It should be an entertaining third day of tennis at the ATP Bastad Open with the defending champion amongst those in action in Sweden. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate. But who will secure their spot in the quarterfinals at the Båstad Tennis Stadium?
ATP Bastad Day 3 Predictions
Nuno Borges vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: Borges 1-1 Dimitrov
This is the first meeting on clay between this pair with both of their previous matches having been played on hard courts. That won’t necessarily been encouraging for Grigor Dimitrov, who prefers quicker surfaces to the terre battue. Nuno Borges, in, contrast, has a strong record in Bastad; he won the title in 2024 by defeating Rafael Nadal in the final and looked sharp in his opening match against French prodigy Moise Kouame, winning in straight sets.
Dimitrov seems to have overcome his recent injury issues–at least on the basis of his run at Wimbledon, but even with his big-match experience, this looks like being a tricky encounter. Expect a competitive and close match, but for Borges will prevail in the end.
Prediction: Borges in 3
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Daniel Vallejo
Head-to-head: first meeting
Botic an de Zandschulp hasn’t been consistent in 2026, and this match against Daniel Vallejo will prove to be very difficult for the 30-year-old in condition that Vallejo will most likely enjoy. Van de Zandschulp’s big serve and experience will play a big part in this contest and the Dutchman is a good enough player to win it, but Vallejo’s recent good form on the clay and his style, suited to the surface, gives him a slight edge over his opponent at the ATP Bastad Open.
Prediction: Vallejo in 3
Stefano Travaglia vs Mariano Navone
Head-to-head: first meeting
Mariano Navone goes into this encounter with a lot of confidence after some solid tennis, and also competes more regularly at tour-level than his opponent here, with Stefano Travaglia mostly in action on the Challenger Tour. The conditions should also help Navone, who has built his career almost entirely on clay courts, and he has looked solid so far in Bastad.
The 34-year-old also Travaglia won his first match at ATP Bastad against Martin Krumich comfortably enough but faces a huge test here. Navone is the clear favorite and very likely to win in straight sets.
Prediction: Navone in 2
Daniel Altmaier vs Luciano Darderi
Head-to-head: Altmaier 2-1 Darderi
The head-to-head favors Daniel Altmaier, but their meetings on clay are tied at 1-1. The defending champion, Luciano Darderi, has shown he is capable in big moments, as he demonstrated in Rome. Altmaier plays his best tennis on the clay, but the conditions in Bastad are faster than is often the case on this surface, which may play a huge part in this encounter. Darderi’s aggressive baseline style and solid movement on clay make him the slight favourite to win this one.
Prediction: Darderi in 3
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
