Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Washington match.
Miomir Kecmanovic returns to hard courts following his grass-court campaign, during which he claimed the title in Delray Beach. However, the Serbian has traditionally struggled in Washington and will face a challenging first-round opponent in Zachary Svajda. The American has hit his stride on home soil, riding a seven-match winning streak that includes his successful qualifying campaign at this event.
Zachary Svajda
Zachary Svajda has shown impressive form this season, recently securing a grass-court title in Newport. In the Washington qualifiers, he overcame solid competition in Yusuke Watanuki and Bernard Tomic. Despite currently being outside the top 100 in the standings, he regularly delivers competitive performances on hard courts and rarely goes down without a fight. In his last five hard-court losses at ATP events on American soil, he has either covered a +4.5 games handicap or won at least one set.
Miomir Kecmanovic
Since February, Miomir Kecmanovic has managed just five wins on hard courts, with most of those victories coming by no more than a four-game margin. His career record in Washington is evenly split at 3:3, with losses to lower-ranked players such as Norbert Gombos and Ričardas Berankis, both of whom were ranked outside the top 300 at the time. This season, he has also suffered defeats to several underdogs, including Daniel Altmaier, Alexandre Müller, and Damir Dzumhur.
Zachary Svajda vs Miomir Kecmanovic Prediction
Zachary Svajda is expected to challenge Miomir Kecmanovic throughout the match. The American is well-adjusted to playing at home, and backing him with a positive handicap looks like a sound betting approach.
