Day 2 at the ATP event in Bastad should bring plenty of tight and exciting matches, with several players looking to add some valuable points to their ranking in this European clay swing. With the tournament being played the week after Wimbledon, the field isn’t exactly stacked with top players (although Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev, both top 10 players, are here) but it features a lot of players who are very skilled and comfortable on the clay. We also look at the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
ATP Bastaad Day 2 Predictions
Sebastian Baez vs Federico Coria
Head-to-head: Baez 1-0 Coria
Baez won when the pair faced earlier this year in the Cordoba final in what was a very tight match. This time, the stakes are much lower as it’s only a first round match, but both players depend a lot on these 250 clay events to build up their ranking so they’ll give it their all and should provide another high quality, tightly contested match.
Prediction: Baez in 3
Dusan Lajovic vs Filip Misolic
Head-to-head: Misolic 1-0 Lajovic
Lajovic really cooled off after winning the title in Banja Luka but on clay he’s always a very dangerous opponent. Misolic won when the pair faced in Kitzbuhel last year and certainly has a good chance here too, it should be a tight match going the distance yet again between these two.Prediction: Misolic in 3
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Elias Ymer vs Leo Borg
Head-to-head: first meeting
It’s a rare all-Swedish matchup here, but one where Ymer has a very clear edge. Leo Borg might be the son of Bjorn Borg but so far nothing indicates that he’s destined to have a great career on the tour. Ymer hasn’t quite lived up to the lofty expectations some had for him either, but he should be able to win with relative ease here.
Prediction: Ymer in 2
Marco Cecchinato vs Pavel Kotov
Head-to-head: Cecchinato 1-1 Kotov
At his peak, Cecchinato was always a threat in these smaller clay events, but those days are long gone despite the fact that he’s just 30. He actually comes into this match on the back of six consecutive defeats and Kotov might well give him the seventh here.
Prediction: Kotov in 3
Alejandro Dadidovich Fokina vs Jozef Kovalik
Head-to-head: Dadidovich Fokina 1-0 Kovalik
Dadidovich Fokina is fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Holger Rune at Wimbledon and will be looking to make quick amends here in Bastad. On paper, he has a kind first round even if Kovalik did play well in qualifying here. Dadidovich Fokina won in straights when the pair faced in Hamburg last year and the same should happen here.
Prediction: Dadidovich Fokina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
