Second round action commences on Day 3 of the ATP 250 Serbia Open in Belgrade. There’s a distinct Serbian flavor to Day 3. An exciting line-up is scheduled, featuring the top seed Novak Djokovic kick-starting his tournament with a clash against compatriot Laslo Djere. Three other seeds will be action on Wednesday: Karen Khachanov, Miomir Kecmanovic, and Filip Krajinovic. All seeds will be favored to advance to advance to the quarterfinals. Will there be any upsets?
ATP Belgrade Day 3 Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs John Millman
H2H: 1-1.
Miomir Kecmanovic is in the best form of his career. The Serbian has been one of the most improved players on tour this season and arrives in Serbia on a high after a run to the quarterfinals at the Miami Open earlier this month. Kecmanovic cruised through his Belgrade opener with a 6-0 6-3 demolition of Richard Gasquet. John Millman’s season hasn’t gone to plan but he remains a solid opponent on his day. The Aussie secured a notable first round win in Belgrade as he defeated Dominic Thiem 6-3 3-6 6-4. Kecmanovic’s form is clearly stronger and he more comfortable on the red clay than Millman, expect a relatively comfortable win for the Serb.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 2
Karen Khachanov vs Roman Safiullin
H2H: First meeting.
Roman Safiullin secured a pair of hard-fought victories to advance through the qualifying draw in Belgrade. A 6-7 6-4 6-4 win against Max Purcell was followed by a 6-2 6-7 6-0 win over Norbert Gombos. The 24-year-old wasn’t as troubled in his main draw opener where he defeated Mikael Ymer 7-5 6-0. Safiullin faces a far greater task in the second round against the third seeded Karen Khachanov. Safiullin is certainly more familiar with the conditions this week and is likely to push Khachanov who is yet to win a clay court match this season after an opening round exit to Diego Schwartzman in three sets in Monte Carlo last week. I’ll give Khachanov the benefit of the doubt here, he is clearly the better player but may take some time to outclass his opponent.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Filip Krajinovic vs Thiago Monteiro
H2H: First meeting.
Fillip Krajinovic looks like the seed most likely to be eliminated on Wednesday in Belgrade. Krajinovic comes up against the dangerous Thiago Monteiro in favorable conditions for the Brazilian. Monteiro is battle-hardened, having won a pair of three-set matches to get through the qualifying draw. Monteiro kick-started his main draw campaign with a 6-4 6-3 win over Joao Sousa. I’ll go for the upset here. Krajinovic had been in poor form for a while, and Monteiro seems to be in good enough shape this week to exploit the Serb’s vulnerabilities.
Prediction: Monteiro in 3
Novak Djokovic vs Laslo Djere
H2H: First meeting.
Novak Djokovic will be determined to get his season back on track in Belgrade. He suffered a shock first-up exit in Monte Carlo last week where he was beaten by eventual runner-up Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three sets. Djokovic was unable to win the Serbia Open last year as he was defeated by Aslan Karatsev in an epic three-set battle. That’s a couple of extra motivational factors for Djokovic this week, which spells trouble for his opponents. Laslo Djere is a solid opponent coming off a couple of decent results on the red clay. However, Djere doesn’t really have an x-factor to seriously challenge a determined Djokovic. Expect Djokovic to be too strong.
Prediction: Djokovic in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
