Diego Schwartzman vs Nikoloz Basilashvili: a Continuous Match

Within the first round of the ATP Cup group stage, Diego Schwartzman will meet with Nikoloz Basilashvili, the national teams of Argentina and Georgia will intersect. The Argentine is considered the favourite, even though the opponents have never played with each other.

The Argentine finished last season with three indoor tournaments - in Antwerp, Vienna and Paris. Diego performed the best in Belgium, where he reached the final but lost to Jannik Sinner with no effort: 2:6, 2:6. In Paris, the player ultimately failed, dropping in two sets in the last 32 to Marcos Girón, ranking the 66th in the world. Let's see if Diego has managed to gain form since then.

I really like Sydney. I played very good matches here. Obviously, the ATP Cup, it's very tough, because every year the best teams in the world qualify. It's going to be tough, a good challenge, and I think it's the best preparation for everyone who plays before the Australian Open.

Diego Schwartzman before the ATP Cup

Nikoloz also played at tournaments in Vienna and Paris and did not impress us like Schwartzman. In the Austrian capital, the Georgian lost to Berrettini after defeating Carreno-Busta. In France, Nikoloz turned out to be weaker than Mannarino, the local player. It should be noted that before Basilashvili was not remarkable by good performances in Australia, Nikoloz won all his titles in Eurasia. At the last Australian Open, Basilashvili lost to Tommy Paul in three sets in the first match.

Schwartzman has experience playing at the ATP Cup. Last year the Argentines performed well here, and Diego beat Nishikori. In his turn, Basilashvili cannot boast of his results in Australia. The start of the season will not be easy for the Georgian. However, Basilashvili can force the Argentine to fight because Schwartzman is vulnerable on the hard court; his element is clay ones. Thus, we think that the upcoming meeting will be quite protracted.