Lorenzo Sonego is coming off a title in Metz and he is looking maintain momentum in Sofia on Thursday, when Holger Rune will be on the other side of the net. Pablo Carreno Busta and Marc-Andrea Huesler are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
Lorenzo Sonego vs. (5) Holger Rune
Rune and Sonego will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they meet again in round two of the Sofia Open on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came last season on the indoor hard courts of Metz, where Rune prevailed 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4–also in second-round action.
It was much different story in Metz this time around for Sonego, who captured his third ATP title last week. The Italian is up to No. 45 in the world and he followed up that success by beating Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday. Rune kicked off his Sofia campaign with a 7-6(2), 7-6(6) defeat of Tim van Rijthoven. Sonego has always been a force on indoor hard courts whereas Rune–despite last year’s result–would rather contest this matchup on clay, so look for Sonego to stay hot.
Pick: Sonego in 2
Marc-Andrea Huesler vs. (2) Pablo Carreno Busta
Carreno Busta is in serious contention for a Nitto ATP Finals spot, so his motivation level during the fall swing should be high–when that isn’t always the case for a lot of players. The 14th-ranked Spaniard won the biggest title of his career at the Montreal Masters and followed it up with a fourth-round performance at the U.S. Open.
Up first for Carreno Busta following a first-round bye is Huesler, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Geoffrey Blancaneaux on Wednesday. Huesler recently made the biggest headlines of his career by reaching the Winston-Salem final, but he went 1-4 in his next five matches. The 95th-ranked Swiss did well to beat Blancaneaux, but Carreno Busta is likely way too big of a step up in competition.
Pick: Carreno Busta in 2
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