Although the ATP Umag Open is one of the last clay-court tournaments of the year, there should still be plenty of entertaining action in Croatia this week. On day one, six players will battle for a place in the second round and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate. But who will come out on top?
ATP Umag Open Day 1 Predictions
Holger Rune vs Radu Albot
Head-to-head: Rune 1-0 Albot
This will be a good test for Holger Rune, who clearly has a bright future but has not perhaps found the transition to the professional ranks as straightforward as he might have hoped. He has won just two of the seven tour-level matches he has played so far this year, a figure that he will surely be desperate to improve on here. But Radu Albot, although no longer the force he once was, is an experienced competitor who will not want to make things easy for the young Dane.
But Rune did get the better of the Moldovan from a set down last week in similar conditions in Bastad. He will be able to take particular confidence from the manner in which he finished that match, winning the final set without losing a game. There remains relatively little between this pair, but Rune has been playing the better tennis of the two of them – albeit mostly at Challenger-level – in recent weeks and he should have enough to get across the line once again.
Prediction: Rune in 3
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Carlos Taberner vs Nino Serdarusic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Carlos Taberner has just two wins to his name so far at tour-level, but the Spaniard will surely view this as a great opportunity to notch a third. Particularly after he put together an excellent run through the qualifying to the second round last time out in Hamburg, beating Niklas Guttau, Daniel Masur and Feliciano Lopez before losing to the second seed and eventual champion Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round in straight sets.
Nino Serdarusic has not been in such good form. The Croatian did reach the semifinals at the Perugia Challenger, but that snapped a run of six straight losses and he followed it with another first-round defeat in Iasi. He may be helped by the opportunity to play on home turf with the crowd certain to be behind him. But Taberner is the man in form and the gap of over 150 places between them in the rankings exists for a reason. The Spaniard should prove too strong.
Prediction: Taberner in 2
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Stefano Travaglia vs Jaume Munar
Head-to-head: Travaglia 1-1 Munar
This may well prove to be the most entertaining match of day one at the ATP Umag Open. Jaume Munar arrives in Croatia a man in need of wins, with the Spaniard having lost his last three matches. Two were played on the grass, but his first-round loss in Hamburg to Philipp Kohlschreiber was surely disappointing. Stefano Travaglia, meanwhile, has been out of action since losing to Pedro Martinez in the first round at Wimbledon in four sets.
There looks to be relatively little between them, with the head-to-head – which is tied at one win apiece – reflecting that. However, Munar should just about have the edge. The Spaniard’s groundstrokes are that much more solid than Travaglia’s. To continue to rise up the rankings, Munar will need to find a way to dictate rallies more often, but his consistency and good court coverage should see him safely past Travaglia, who is unlikely to hit him off the court.
Prediction: Munar in 3
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