Francisco Cerundolo vs Aslan Karatsev Prediction: Waiting for Karatsev's Third Victory in Bastad

In the quarterfinals of the Bastad tournament, the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, No. 39, will meet Aslan Karatsev, No. 40. The guys have never faced each other in the tour. The bookmakers are on the side of the South American and the odds on Cerundolo's victory are gradually falling.

No wonder, Cerundolo is the favorite for the upcoming game. He knocked out Ruud, a recent Roland Garros finalist. The match was a long, three-set one, lasting more than two and a half hours. Cerundolo didn't make aces but two doubles instead, won 65% of points on first serve and 66% on second. On receptions - 27%/45%. Before beating Casper, Cerundolo knocked Sousa out of the draw. By the way, Cerundolo failed the grass part of the season, and on the clay in April and May he looked so-so. The only relative success was at the Masters in Rome where he beat Sousa and Nishioka but lost to Isner. It's all the more surprising to watch Francisco progress now.

Karatsev got two wins in Bastad, which is very important for him given the failures on the grass and the clay before. Karatsev knocked Gaston out of the Swedish Open 6-2, 6-4 in two games. Karatsev fired four times and made six double faults, won 74% of points on the first serve and 57% on the second. Aslan's statistics on the receiving end were excellent - 42% on the first serve and 57% on the second. Clearly, Karatsev is improving from match to match.  

Francisco's victory over Ruud is significant. However, the Norwegian played a weak match, it's obvious that he was far from his peak form, so we shouldn't make far-reaching plans. Before that, the Argentine was not spectacular and neither was Karatsev. But Aslan is making progress in Bastad as the victory over Sonego is worth a lot. The match against Gaston only confirmed the opinion that he is on the right way. We believe that No. 40, despite the bookmakers' decision, has the best chance to reach the quarterfinals of the Swedish tournament. 

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