It should be an entertaining final at the ATP Umag Open, with the veteran Stan Wawrinka set to take on Australia’s Alexei Popyrin. Wawrinka has the weight of history behind him, but Popyrin’s hard-hitting game makes him a danger when he is on song. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our prediction for the final, as well as Alexander Zverev’s clash with Laslo Djere in Hamburg. But who will come out on top in Croatia?
ATP Umag Final Prediction
Stan Wawrinka vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: first meeting
The sixth-seeded Wawrinka arrived in Umag having not made a final in four years, but the Swiss had been playing some solid tennis, including in reaching the third round at Wimbledon (l. Djokovic). He faltered, at least in the singles, in Gstaad, but has played some superb tennis so far in Umag. He opened his campaign against Filip Misolic, dropping just five games in a 6-3 6-2 win, and he backed that win up with a 7-5 6-1 win over Federico Coria.
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Wawrinka then reached the last four courtesy of a 6-4 7-5 win over Roberto Carballes Baena. There Wawrinka stunned the second seed Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets to reach his first final at this level since losing to Andy Murray in Antwerp in laste 2019. Popyrin, meanwhile, has also looked very sharp. The Australian beat Benjamin Bonzi, Sebastian Ofner and Dino Prizmic to reach the semifinals without dropping a set, before beating Matteo Arnaldi from a set down to reach his first final of 2023.
Popyrin’s record, perhaps unsurprisingly, does not compare with Wawrinka’s, but the Australian did win the only tour-level final of his career to date in Singapore two years ago, and has generally played his best tennis on the big stage. That said, with Wawrinka in this kind of form, it will take some performance from Popyrin to stop him. There should be plenty of winners, but Wawrinka can hit the ball that much harder and that much more accurately. Which suggests one result is rather likelier than the other.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 2
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
