The ATP St. Petersburg Open 2019 second round matches will be played on Thursday, September 19 with Daniil Medvedev finally returning to action. Latest Daniil Medvedev v Evgeny Donskoy & Karen Khachanov v Joao Sousa tips and predictions with their previews along with others can be found below.
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Daniil Medvedev v Evgeny Donskoy Preview
World number four Daniil Medvedev plays fellow countryman and wild-card Evgeny Donskoy in the second round of the St.Petersburg Open. Medvedev won their only meeting in the first round of the US Open in 2018.
Coming off a very strong US hard court season, which included four consecutive finals, a Masters 1000 title and a US Open final for the ages, Medvedev returns for the final two months of the 2019 season, confident, successful and looking at a strong close. The 2019 season has seen Medvedev be the leader of the pack outside the ‘Big Three’ and cement his place at number four in the ATP rankings at the moment.
His opponent Evgeny Donskoy has been on the tour for a good portion of this last decade, but never reached a level of consistency to be a viable threat to top ranked players. Donskoy’s most noteworthy win was against Roger Federer in the 2017 Dubai Open where he saved three match points to win the second round encounter.
Medvedev brings strong recent form with him to this tournament and begins as a strong favorite. Expect the world number four to comfortably win in straight sets.
Tip: Medvedev to win in two sets: 4/11 (888Sport)
Karen Khachanov v Joao Sousa Preview
2018 Paris Masters winner Karen Khachanov begins his St. Petersburg campaign against Joao Sousa. Their only meeting was in Chengdu in 2016 which the Russian won in straight sets.
Khachanov has not quite lived up to his billing this year. Although still ranked in the top 10, and having had some deep runs this year, he has not been able to separate himself from the ‘Next Gen’ crowd, like Medvedev and to a lesser extent perhaps how Tsitsipas has.
Yet, he is only 23 and has a promising career ahead. The hard court and indoor seasons are well suited to his game, and he will look to a good end to the season here on.
Portuguese Joao Sousa did well to make the round of 16 at Wimbledon, but has not had much success since, losing in the first round in a number of tournaments during the US hard court swing, including the US Open. A routine first round win here against a lesser opponent would have assisted him get some belief and confidence back.
Khachanov starts as a strong favorite, given both the surface and Sousa’s current form. A straight sets win for the Russian seems the most likely outcome, which will assist him get over the surprise opening round loss at the US Open.
Tip: Khachanov to win in two sets: 10/11 (888Sport)
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Borna Coric v Marton Fucsovics Preview
Croatia’s Borna Coric plays Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in a repeat of their second round encounter at the start of the year, at the Australian Open. While Coric is ranked 15th and Fuscovics 66th, they have had contrasting seasons.
Borna Coric had a breakthrough 2018 season, defeating Roger Federer twice, winning the ATP 500 at Halle, and being a finalist at the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai. However, 2019 has been a disappointing one for him, marred by injuries and poor form, having to withdraw before the start of Wimbledon, as well as pull out before his second round match at the US Open. Coric will look to use the rest of the season to get his fitness, form and confidence back on track.
Hungarian Marton Fuscovics had a good 2018, breaking into the top 50 and winning his first tile at the Geneva Open. He continued that trend into 2019, and had a consistent first half, being ranked just outside the top 30. His form has dipped somewhat since the beginning of the grass swing, and like Coric, he will look to end the year strong.
A good contest on the cards, with some questions around Coric’s fitness. Expect this to be a tight match, with an even shot for both players to make the quarter-finals. Expect Fucsovics to pull through, on more match practice, in a three-setter.
Tip: Fucsovics to win in three sets: 9/2 (888Sport)
Matteo Berrettini v Roberto Carballes Baena Preview
Italy’s Matteo Berrettini opens his St.Petersburg campaign against Roberto Carballes Baena in their first ever meeting.
Berrettini has had a breakthrough season, winning two ATP titles, at Budapest and Stuttgart, and also finishing runner-up in Munich. A strong US Open showing resulted in him losing in the semi-finals to Rafael Nadal and catapulted him to number 13 in the world rankings, and put him in contention for the year end ATP Tour Finals in London.
Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena won his first ever ATP title in Ecuador in 2018, but has done little of note since. A baseliner with a game suited better to clay, he is ranked 76th in the world, and at 26 years of age, can be expected to make some good runs on clay in the seasons to come.
Berrettini will start as a strong favorite, given the surface, conditions and recent form. Expect a straight sets win for the Italian.
Tip: Berrettini to win in straight sets: 8/11 (888Sport)