Cordoba Open 2023 Day-01: Men's singles predictions ft. Dusan Lajovic vs Juan Pablo Varillas

The singles main-draw action at the 2023 Cordoba Open begins in Cordoba, Argentina, on Monday night (February 6) as the Latin American golden swing gets underway.

The ATP 250 event in the Argentinian city will kickstart the five-tournament golden swing in South America. After Cordoba, the bandwagon will move to Buenos Aires, another 250 event, Rio de Janeiro (ATP 500) in Brazil, Acapulco (ATP 500) in Mexico and Vina del Mar (ATP 250) in Chile.

The 2023 field in Cordoba will be headlined by home favorite and defending champion Diego Schwartzman, 2021 winner Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Francisco Cerundolo, among others.

The opening day of the singles main-draw action at the 2023 Cordoba Open will feature three matches. Here are the predictions for all three fixtures:

#1 Roberto Carballes Baena vs (x8) Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Roberto Carballes Baena will commence his Cordoba Open campaign against eighth seed Bernabe Zapata Miralles in an all-Spanish showdown.

The 77th-ranked Carballes Baena is 1-2 on the season and is coming off a first-round exit at the Australian Open against eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Meanwhile, Zapata Miralles will look to open his account for 2023 at the expense of his compatriot after losing in the opening round in Pune and the Australian Open.

The only previous meeting between the two Spaniards came only a month ago - in the opening round in Pune - which went the way of Carballes Baena. The 29-year-old is expected to prevail again, having crossed the opening hurdle in Cordoba in his three previous appearances.

Zapata Miralles, meanwhile, is making his main-draw debut.

Prediction: Carballes Baena to win in three sets

#2 Dusan Lajovic vs Juan Pablo Varillas

Dusan Lajovic will look to open his account for the season when he takes on Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in the opening round in Cordoba.

Lajovic, ranked 89th in the world, fell in the first round at the Australian Open last month in his season opener and is making his main-draw debut in Coroba. Meanwhile, Varillas also lost his only match of 2023 at the Australian Open. The World No. 98 reached the second round on his Cordoba Open debut last year.

Lajovic and Varillas will meet for the first time on Monday. It should be a tight contest, but Lajovic could edge it in three sets.

Prediction: Lajovic to win in three sets

#3 Pablo Andujar vs (wildcard) Juan Manuel Cerundolo

Pablo Andujar will open his Cordoba Open campaign against wildcard and local hope Francisco Cerundolo.

Andujar, ranked 153 in the world, will look to open his account for the season after falling in the first round in Pune. Meanwhile, the 31st-ranked Cerundolo is 3-3 on the season, including a third-round appearance at the Australian Open. Both players have a 1-2 record in Cordoba.

Cerundolo won the pair's only previous meeting in Buenos Aires two years ago and should prevail again.

Prediction: Cerundolo to win in straight sets.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman