ATP Pune Day 3 Predictions Including Sebastian Baez vs Pedro Martinez
Day 3 of ATP Pune will see the top ranked players kick off their campaigns. Botic van de Zandschulp, Sebastian Baez and Emil Ruusuvuori will all be in action as they look to get off to a good start to the year. As throughout the week, we will be offering our predictions on the play of the day. So who will advance in Pune? We also have Tips Including Roberto Carballes Baena vs Marin Cilic.
ATP Pune Day 3 Betting Tips
Botic van de Zandschulp against Flavio Cobolli
Face to face: First meeting
Cobolli, the young Italian qualifier, has looked good this week not dropping a set yet. The 20-year-old has very little experience on the ATP Tour, and this will be a big step up in quality from his previous opponents. Van de Zandschulp had a pretty up-and-down 2022 after breaking through at the 2021 US Open. He is a solid player on all surfaces, but hard courts are likely to remain where his best tennis is found.
As Cobolli has already played three games (and won them all convincingly), he will undoubtedly be prepared and adapted to these conditions. Van de Zandschulp is often a bit slow to get going, and I can see this is going to be a tough opening game for him. The Dutchman hits a heavy ball and should dominate the Italian, but he may take a bit of time to cross the line.
Prediction: Sand Scallop in 3
Benjamin Bonzi vs. Emil Ruusuvuori
This should be a very fun encounter. Bonzi had a fantastic 2021 season on the Challenger circuit and was impressive on the ATP Tour last year. Now that the Frenchman is more used to playing against the best in the world every week, I have no doubt that we will see another strong rise from him. He started brightly against Tseng, but it’s not an easy match to follow by any means.
Emil Ruusuvuori should have a great year in 2023. He is one of the purest forwards on tour and his consistency improves all the time. He should be able to outhit Bonzi from baseline, but the Frenchman moves brilliantly and won’t make life easy for Emil. I can see this from a distance: they both have their strengths that will benefit them, but I think Ruusuvuori has a little more in his arsenal.
Prediction: Rusuvuori in 3
Filip Krajinovic vs. Michael Mmoh
Face to face: First meeting
Krajinovic stretched to three sets in his opening round with Sumit Nagal, and it was a tough match to start the year. He’s always been a very patchy and flaky player, so it’s never easy to tell which version of him will show up. When he’s in shape, he can match up with the best, but he’s also susceptible to losing to players ranked well below him.
Michael Mmoh has impressed me for a while. The American is an explosive player, equipped with a fantastic forehand, which could serve him well here. Mmoh got the better of the talented 15-year-old Manas Dhamne without much trouble, but this will be a completely different match. If Krajinovic is solid and aggressive, he should be too strong here. However, I don’t feel like I can fully trust him to be in his prime and Mmoh has been building momentum in recent seasons. I can see a malaise here.
Prediction: Mmoh in 3
Sebastian Baez vs. Pedro Martinez
Head to head: 1-0 Martinez
It’s not a surface where we’d expect these two to go head to head, but that’s what intrigues me here. Báez had a brilliant season in 2022 until he lost the Bastad final to Cerundolo, where unfortunately his year went off the rails with just one win in 12 matches. It’s important to remember that it was his first ATP season, his hard court experience is limited and he had a lot of tough opponents in the first round. However, his meeting at the US Open with Carlos Alcaraz was all he needed to see to know that he will succeed on hard courts.
Martínez, like Báez, is much better on clay than on hard courts. He’s a grinder and, though he’s hard to beat, he doesn’t possess the weapons to become much of a threat away from the red earth. Baez has an incredible forehand (and one of the most underrated lobs in the men’s game), and for me that’s what this match depends on. If Baez is making his forehand and bringing the game to Martinez, he should come out on top. It won’t be easy by any means since it’s his first game of the year, but I can see him starting with a win here.
Prediction: Baez in 3
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