Los Cabos Open 2022: Daniil Medvedev vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (4) Miomir Kecmanovic.
Date: August 5, 2022.
Tournament: Los Cabos Open 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Los Cabos, Mexico.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $822,110.
Match timing: 7:30 pm local time, 9:30 pm ET, 1:30 am GMT and 7 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Daniil Medvedev vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will take on fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the semifinals of the 2022 Los Cabos Open on Friday.
Following a first-round bye, Medvedev was up against qualifier Rinky Hijikata. He scored a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Australian, which was also the 250th of his career. The top seed faced Ricardas Berankis in the quarterfinals.
Medvedev took control of the opening set rather quickly, claiming the last five games on the run to take the set. The Russian built up a 4-0 lead in the second set, which proved to be insurmountable for Berankis. The World No. 1 soon closed out the match to complete an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory. This was also his 200th win on hardcourts.
Sealed with an ace! 👀
@DaniilMedwed takes out Berankis 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semi-finals in Los Cabos!
@AbiertoLosCabos | #ATC2022 https://t.co/5q3C7FhqnT
After an opening-round bye, Miomir Kecmanovic scored a straight-sets win over Jordan Thompson to advance to the quarterfinals. He was up against Brandon Nakashima, who was the runner-up here in 2021.
Kecmanovic started the match by going up a break to lead 2-0. Following a hold of serve by his opponent, he won three games in a row to go 5-1 up. Nakashima managed another service hold, after which the Serb easily served out the set to claim the opener.
Kecmanovic snagged a break at the start of the second set to go 2-0 up, but Nakashima fought back and won the next couple of games to level the score. However, the Serb secured yet another break of serve and didn't relinquish his advantage this time.
Kecmanovic faced a slight hiccup while trying to serve out the match. He had to save a break point, but managed to close out the proceedings to win 6-2, 6-4 and advance to his second semifinal of the year. He has also reached the doubles semifinals here alongside William Blumberg.
Daniil Medvedev vs Miomir Kecmanovic head-to-head
Medvedev leads Kecmanovic 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their most recent encounter at this year's French Open in straight sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Miomir Kecmanovic odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Miomir Kecmanovic prediction
Both players have looked quite impressive this week. Medvedev hasn't lost serve even once yet, while Kecmanovic has dropped serve just once. The Russian has become one of the best players on hardcourts over the last few years. He especially excels during this part of the season.
Against Berankis in the second round, Medvedev's serving capabilities were on full display. He hit eight aces and won a massive 88% of first serve points. Kecmanovic is a decent server himself, but will have to figure out a way to neutralize his opponent's advantage on serve.
Kecmanovic will need to be prepared to engage in long rallies from time to time, as hitting past Medvedev isn't an easy task. While the Serb will need to be aggressive in his gameplay, simply trying to overpower his opponent won't do the trick. The Russian knows how to handle big hitters quite well.
Kecmanovic is attempting to reach his first final on hardcourt, but will have to overcome one of the best players on the surface to do so. The Serb is having a career-best season, but considering Medvedev's record, it's hard not to back him for the win.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.