Alexei Popyrin vs Stan Wawrinka Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Umag Open

Prediction published on 30/07/2023, 04:34  by Daniel Ngulu in Tennis Predictions

Sixth seed Stan Wawrinka is yet again playing in a Croatia Open final and will on Sunday meet unseeded Alexei Popyrin. This is the first final of the season for both players. Alexei Popyrin will play in only his second tour final which is also his first on clay. He won in Singapore in 2021 the first time he had gotten this far at the top level. The Australian has a strong record in finals he has contested. He has played five finals across all three tiers and has won four titles with two coming on clay. Popyrin has been in excellent form in his debut in Umag and has won three of his four matches without dropping a set. He dropped his first set in his semifinal showdown with seventh seed Matteo Arnaldi, coming from a set down to win. That win bumped him up 15 places to 75th in the live ranking. Popyrin has had a topsy-turvy campaign and has compiled a 29-20 win-loss record. Fourteen of his victoires however have come on clay.

Stan Wawrinka is set to play in his second final in Umag and will hope to come out victorious once again. By advancing to this final he has ended a four-year wait for a chance at a title. The last time the three-time Grand Slam champion played in a final was in October 2019 in Antwerp. Wawrinka is in his fifth appearance here. He last played in Umag in 2007, the season after he was crowned champion. The Swiss former world number three has picked up from where he left off and has been in excellent form. He is yet to drop a set and has defeated top-seeded players in his path. In the semifinals, he defeated second-seed Lorenzo Sonego by the loss of seven games. Wawrinka has compiled a 21-13 win-loss record with the majority of his victories, 11, coming on clay. His success here has allowed him to get back into the ATP top 50 for the first time in two seasons. He is currently ranked 49th in the live ranking.