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Match Details
Fixture: Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Luca Nardi
Date: September 17, 2025
Tournament: Hangzhou Open
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo Center, Hangzhou, China
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $1,019,185
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Luca Nardi preview
USA's Aleksandar Kovacevic will face Italy's Luca Nardi in the first round of the 2025 Hangzhou Open on Wednesday (September 17).
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Kovacevic, who began the year ranked outside the top 100 ATP rankings, has enjoyed a respectable showing on the men's singles circuit recently. The World No. 69 won his fifth and sixth Challenger-level titles in Oeiras and Copa Cap Cana, respectively, while also finishing runner-up at the Open Occitane in February. He then endured a rough ride on the main tour before recording his second tour-level final appearance at the Los Cabos Open two months ago.
That said, the American has dropped six of his last eight matches since the above run, and it remains to be seen whether he can diffuse World No. 85 Nardi's challenge. The Italian has also struggled at stringing together back-to-back victories on the ATP Tour, having lost in the first or second round of a tour-level event on 10 occasions this year.
The 22-year-old did give a good account of himself in Cincinnati last month though, beating Jakub Mensik (via retirement) and Denis Shapovalov en route to the Round of 16.
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Luca Nardi head-to-head
Kovacevic and Nardi have never met on the ATP Tour so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Luca Nardi odds
All bets sourced from BetMGM.
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Luca Nardi prediction
Kovacevic is one of the few players on the ATP Tour to be ranked highly in singles despite possessing a single-handed backhand, which has been slowly phased out of the modern game. Although the 27-year-old doesn't have easy power on his groundstrokes, he makes up for it with his intelligent shotmaking.
Nardi, meanwhile, is an uber-aggressive player and likes taking the ball early on the rise. This tactic allows him to take the initiative, yet it can prove to be costly due to low margin during long exchanges, as well. Both players are also underwhelming when it comes to their respective service games, meaning that the contest will come down to rally and return dynamics.
For what it's worth, the Italian's game is better suited to faster hardcourts than his older opponent, thereby giving him slightly better chances of winning their first-round encounter at this week's Hangzhou Open.
Pick: Nardi to win in three sets.
