Was it all a dream? The grass season came and went so quickly, Carlos Alcaraz establishing himself atop the summit of men’s tennis. We’re immediately back in action in the mini-clay-swing post-Wimbledon. We’re looking to predict some of the matches on Day 4 at the ATP 250 event in Bastad.
ATP Bastad Day 4 Predictions
Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro
Head-to-head: 1-1 (all levels)
Alexander Zverev defeated Alex Molcan in the previous round. Molcan is a tricky astute lefty–arguably a slightly better version of Thiago Monteiro. Zverev will be well warmed up for changing direction on his backhand having survived a third set that went to 7-5.
Monteiro always puts up a good fight and the German can sometimes get in his own head if he starts slow, however. We’ll give him a set margin of error but he’s unlikely to slip up in the long run having been given the perfect preparation in the previous round.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs Sebastian Ofner
Head-to-head: Ofner 2-0 Zapata Miralles (all levels)
There’s a pretty strong argument to be made that, at the start of the week, Tomas Martin Etcheverry was in the top three favourites for the title. Unfortunately for the Argentine, he was knocked out by Sebastian Ofner in the first round. The world #58 is rising quickly in stock and absolutely can’t be underrated here.
One could point out that Bernabe Zapata Miralles is an incredibly dogged clay-courter and Ofner could potentially be a little gassed after his first round. The ease with which the Austrian has swept through some of his competition recently, however, is a sure sign of repeatable form.
Prediction: Ofner in 3
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Andrey Rublev vs Pavel Kotov
Head-to-head: First meeting
Andrey Rublev definitely has the game to hit through Pavel Kotov’s defences, especially in these conditions where he has a little more time to set up his forehand. How’s his form though? Before the grass season and following his title in Monte Carlo, he sustained quite a few early round losses on clay courts.
There was a consistent trait in that nearly all of these players had a big weapon in their arsenal, however. We don’t think Kotov has that weaponry and generally the Russian’s form has been decent enough to trust him.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Casper Ruud vs Alexander Shevchenko
Head-to-head: First meeting
Alexander Shevchenko could have been a banana skin for some. His power is fierce having defeated Lehecka, Baez, Wolf and Cachin this year on clay.
He won’t be a banana skin for Casper Ruud. This is his happy hunting ground–the champion in 2021 has won four of his ten titles during this mini-clay swing, owing to a ground-game superior to the vast majority of the tour on this surface.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
