Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Buenos Aires match.
Alexander Zverev returns to action following his Australian Open final defeat to Jannik Sinner. The German is still chasing his first Grand Slam title and is using this clay-court stretch as preparation for Roland Garros. He enters Buenos Aires in the second round, facing Dušan Lajović, who has already secured a win over Roberto Carballés Baena.
Alexander Zverev
Last season, Zverev played 39 matches on clay, winning 29 (74%). His success on the surface included a Masters 1000 title in Rome and a final appearance at Roland Garros. He has also won eight ATP 250 titles, with his most recent coming in Chengdu (September 2023). Against Serbian players—excluding Novak Djokovic—Zverev has an outstanding 20-2 record. His head-to-head against Dušan Lajović stands at 4-0, but he needed five sets to overcome him twice at Roland Garros.
Dušan Lajović
Lajović is not a top-tier star but is a solid clay-court specialist. The Serbian has won two ATP 250 titles (Umag and Banja Luka) and has defeated top-5 players only three times—against Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Dominic Thiem. He has reached the Buenos Aires quarterfinals in both 2023 and 2024. In the first round of this year’s tournament, he beat Roberto Carballés Baena (7:6, 7:5), proving he is ready for a fight.
Alexander Zverev vs Dušan Lajović Prediction
Zverev is the clear favourite, but transitioning from hard courts to clay and playing his first match of the tournament means this won’t be a straightforward win. Lajović has the experience and resilience to extend rallies, making a routine victory unlikely for Zverev. We expect a competitive match with a higher game count, so we choose a combo bet.
