Hamburg European Open 2021: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dusan Lajovic preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (2) Pablo Carreno Busta vs (5) Dusan Lajovic
Date: 16 July 2021
Tournament: Hamburg European Open
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €1,030,900
Match timing: Approx. 4:30 pm local time, 2:30 pm GMT, 10:30 am ET
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dusan Lajovic preview
After a disappointing first-round exit at Wimbledon 2021, Pablo Carreno Busta returned to winning ways with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Carlos Taberner in the second round at Hamburg.
Carreno Busta has won 20 of his 29 matches this season, 14 of which have come on clay. The Spaniard won the title at Marbella in April and also made the semifinals at the Mallorca Open, where he was beaten by World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev.
Lajovic has also posted a few decent results in 2021. He reached the last eight at Belgrade earlier this year and then took down the experienced Gilles Simon in a marathon five-setter in the first round at Wimbledon.
He has looked solid this week in Hamburg. The fifth seed beat Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-4 in the first round before downing Slovakia's Alex Molcan in three sets in the second.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dusan Lajovic head-to-head
Pablo Carreno Busta and Dusan Lajovic have faced off thrice on tour so far, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 2-1.
Lajovic won their first meeting in Nice in 2015, while Carreno Busta came out on top in their matches in 2017 and 2020. Both of the Spaniard's wins came on hardcourt, while Lajovic won their only meeting on clay.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dusan Lajovic prediction
After an early exit in Wimbledon, Carreno Busta would be keen to make a deep run in this tournament. The Spaniard has a game that is well-suited to clay. He likes to engage in long baseline rallies, wear down his opponents and extract errors from their racket. He also has the ability to strike winners from the back of the court.
Lajovic, too, has a solid baseline game. The Serb can generate sharp angles using his single-handed backhand. However, it remains to be seen how he will recover after his long three-setter against Molcan in the last round.
If this match goes the distance, Carreno Busta will be the favorite to come through.
Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta to win in three sets