Srpska Open 2023 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Borna Coric vs Laslo Djere

The third day of main draw action at the inaugural Srpska Open in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Wednesday will feature four first-round and three second-round matches. Four seeds, three qualifiers and a wildcard will take the court.

On Tuesday, the lone seed in action — Richard Gasquet — sailed through to the next round, beating qualifier Dino Prizmic. The likes of Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic and Abdullah Shelbayh also triumphed on the day.

Without further ado, here's how the following four matches at the Srpska Open in Banja Luka could pan out:

#1 Round of 16: Borna Coric (Srpska third seed) vs Laslo Djere

Third seed Borna Coric opens his campaign at the Srpska Open against Serbia's Laslo Djere.

The 21st-ranked Coric is 7-7 in 2023 but has been on a four-match losing streak since reaching successive quarterfinals in Montpellier and Dubai. Meanwhile, World No. 78 Djere improved to 11-9 on the season by beating Roman Safiullin in his opener.

Djere is 2-1 against Coric, with all three meetings on clay. Considering the Serb's better form, he should take this one.

Pick: Djere in straight sets

#2 Round of 32: Gregoire Barrere vs Hamad Medjedovic

Eighth seed Gregoire Barrere opens his Srpska Open campaign against wildcard Hamad Medjedovic.

World No. 57 Barrere is 7-7 on the season, reaching the Montpellier quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the 212th-ranked Medjedovic won his lone match of the year in the Davis Cup against Norway — his first win on the ATP Tour.

The two players haven't met before, but the 2023 Quimper Challenger winner should emerge victorious.

Pick: Barrere in straight sets

#3 Round of 32: Hugo Gaston vs Juan Pablo Varillas

Frenchman Hugo Gaston takes on Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in an all-unseeded first-round matchup in Srpska.

The 107th-ranked Gaston has won only one of his four matches this year — in Marrakech. Meanwhile, World No. 92 Varillas has fared better, going 4-6. The Sanremo Challenger finalist reached the Buenos Aires semifinals this year.

Varillas took the pair's lone meeting in the first round at Rio de Janeiro and should emerge victorious again.

Pick: Varillas in straight sets

#4 Round of 16: Alexei Popyrin vs Alex Molcan

Alexei Popyrin takes on Slovakia's Alex Molcan for a place in the quarterfinals.

The 81st-ranked Popyrin beat fifth seed Tallon Griekspoor to improve to 9-8 on the season. Meanwhile, World No. 73 Molcan beat Taro Daniel for his seventh win in 15 matches this year.

Expect the Australian to take this first-time matchup.

Pick: Popyrin in three sets

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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 Rachel Syiemlieh