Sofia Open 2023 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Lorenzo Musetti vs Jack Draper
Day 3 of the Sofia Open will see the second round of the men's singles tournament take place as 16 players will be contesting for the eight quarterfinal spots in the Bulgarian capital.
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti will take on Jack Draper in what will be one of the most highly anticipated matches of the day. Second seed Adrian Mannarino will be up against Albert Ramos Vinolas. The likes of Roberto Bautista Agut and Sebastian Baez will also be in action.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the men's singles matches on Day 3 of the Sofia Open.
#1. Lorenzo Musetti vs Jack Draper
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti will take on Jack Draper in the second round of the Sofia Open. It will be the first senior meeting between the two, with the Brit previously beating him in last year's Next Gen ATP Finals.
Musetti received a bye to the second round of the ATP 250 event by virtue of being one of the top four seeds while Draper beat Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 6-2 in the first round.
The Italian has won 32 out of 59 matches so far this season while the Brit has triumphed in 16 out of 26 main-draw fixtures. While Draper is an up-and-coming talent who can be quite formidable on his day, it's hard to see Musetti lose the match, even if it is by the narrowest of margins.
Predicted Winner: Lorenzo Musetti.
#2. Adrian Mannarino vs Albert Ramos Vinolas
Second seed Adrian Mannarino will take on Albert Ramos Vinolas in the second round of the Sofia Open. It will be the tenth meeting between the two, with the Spaniard leading 5-4 in the head-to-head.
Mannarino received a walkover to the second round in Sofia due to his seeding while Ramos Vinolas had to overcome Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a tense opening-round encounter.
The Frenchman has won 39 out of 63 matches so far this season while the Spaniard has a disappointing 12-25 record in the main-draw fixtures in 2023. Mannarino will enter the match as the favorite to win and considering his relatively superior run of form, he should not have much problems taking down Ramos Vinolas and reaching the quarterfinals of the Sofia Open.
Predicted Winner: Adrian Mannarino
#3. Roberto Bautista Agut vs Fabian Marozsan
Roberto Bautista Agut will take on Fabian Marozsan in the second round of the Sofia Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Bautista Agut nooked his place in the second round of the Sofia Open after grinding out a 7-6(9), 6-7(2), 7-6(5) win over ninth seed Miomir Kecmanovic while Marozsan made easy work of compatriot Zsombor Piros, winning 6-3, 6-1.
The Spaniard has won 17 out of 37 matches so far this season while the Hungarian has triumphed in 11 out of 18 fixtures. Marozsan has had a few good moments in 2023 and if Bautista Agut is still feeling the effects of his clash against Kecmanovic, there's a good chance the former could come out on top.
Predicted Winner: Fabian Marozsan.
#4. Sebastian Baez vs Pavel Kotov
Fourth seed Sebastian Baez will take on Pavel Kotov in the second round of the Sofia Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Baez received a bye to the second round in Sofia while Kotov came back from a set down to defeat Alexandar Lazarov 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The Argentine has won 31 out of 56 matches so far this season while the Russian has triumphed in 14 out of 27 main-draw fixtures. Baez seems the superior player out of the two and should be able to get the win to advance to the quarterfinals in Sofia.