The first round at the Cincinnati Masters wraps up on Tuesday, with Grigor Dimitrov battling fellow veteran Roberto Bautista Agut and American Sebastian Korda taking on Serbia’s Laslo Djere.
Grigor Dimitrov vs. (13) Roberto Bautista Agut
A depleted draw in Toronto was good news for Roberto Bautista Agut. Following a tough post-Wimbledon clay swing, the world No. 16 found his footing at the Canadian Open–where he lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Reilly Opelka. He wasn’t at his hard-court best last week, but it was at least an improvement on the poor form he displayed in the past month.
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov has been limping through the 2021 season. The world No. 20 is an anemic 12-12, and he hasn’t won more than a match at a time since he made the round of 16 at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He also fell victim to Opelka in Toronto. Dimitrov hasn’t gotten a hard court match win since March (Acapulco).
With Dimitrov struggling right now, Bautista Agut should find his way into the second round. The Spaniard is still not playing the kind of consistent tennis that will translate to a deep run at a major, but it will be enough on Tuesday.
Cheryl pick: Bautista Agut in 2
Ricky pick: Bautista Agut in 2
Sebastian Korda vs. Laslo Djere
This is the first meeting between American Sebastian Korda and Serbia’s Laslo Djere. Their rankings are similar; Korda is ranked 45th in the world and Djere is No. 51. The difference is that Korda’s ranking has done nothing but go up, while Djere has lost significant ground since reaching his career-high mark of 27th back in June of 2019.
Korda has the makings of a future superstar. The 21-year-old already won his first ATP tour title (in Palermo) and he is a healthy 22-11 on the season. His game is still developing; he hasn’t found quite the sting on his serve that would be expected for a man his size (6’5″), but his general improvement over the last 12 months has been impressive.
Korda withdrew from Toronto last week because of a lower-back injury so there is a chance that he will not be at 100 percent, but given his form and the fact that he will have the support of the crowd, he will be the favorite to get through to the second round.
Cheryl pick: Korda in 2
Ricky pick: Korda in 2
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