Christopher O'Connell vs Filip Krajinovic Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Mutua Madrid Open

Prediction published on 25/04/2023, 06:35  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 25/04/2023 at 14:35 in Tennis Predictions

The Mutua Madrid Open is set to get underway this week, and in the first round of matches, we will see Christopher O’Connell take on Filip Krajinovic on Wednesday. O'Connell started the year ranked 78th, but following a poor run of form in the early season, found himself slipping to 94th by mid-February. However, since stepping onto the clay surface in April, the Australian has been transformed, reaching the quarter-final in Marrakech and the semi-finals at the Split Challenger event. He is now up to 81st in the world rankings, just three places off his peak. Last week in Munich, O’Connell made another surge to the semi-final, overcoming Ugo Humbert in the first round before picking up one of his best wins of the year over Alexander Zverev in the following round. He eventually bowed out to the tournament winner, Holger Rune, in the penultimate match. O’Connell is now 8-3 on the clay this year and will be eying up another solid run here in Spain. 

Meanwhile, Filip Krajinovic is some way from his peak rank of 26th back in 2018, currently 79th, following a tough start to 2023. The Serbian is 4-10 for the year and comes into this tournament following a first-round exit at the Srpska Open last week. In Monte Carlo at the start of the month, Krajinovic managed to overcome Marton Fucsovics in his second qualifier but failed to kick on, losing to Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round in three sets. Following those tournaments, Krajinovic is now 1-3 on the clay surface and will need to improve significantly on those performances to stand a chance of progressing in this one.