Five Spaniards Including Pablo Carreno Busta and David Ferrer Invade ATP Bastad
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The SkiStar Swedish Open is an ATP 250 on clay in Bastad, Sweden. A host of accomplished clay courters will take to the court, and here is your look at the action to come.

Top Half:

Diego Schwartzman should win this section over Roberto Carballes Baena/qualifier, and then the winner of Matteo Berrettini/Leonardo Mayer. I’ll back the rising Berrettini to post a good result, upsetting Mayer and then Gastao Elias/qualifier.

With Jaume Munar in good form, I’ll back him to upset Casper Ruud in round 1 in a battle of the wild cards, and then I have David Ferrer falling to his younger countryman Munar in the second round. Richard Gasquet should beat Gerald Melzer/qualifier, then Munar/Ruud to win this section.

Bottom Half:

Pablo Carreno Busta is solid enough on clay to suggest he’ll defeat Thiago Monteiro/Elias Ymer in his opening match before facing off with fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the quarters. Verdasco opens with Lorenzo Sonego, Radu Albot/Pedro Sousa will follow. Carreno Busta over Verdasco is the sensible choice for this quarter.

John Millman should get past Guido Andreozzi and Horacio Zeballos or Federico Delbonis. Fabio Fognini is the best player in this section and a potential champion though. Presuming the Italian is focused he should ease past Denis Istomin/Mikael Ymer, and then Millman to reach the semis.

Predictions

Semis
Schwartzman d. Gasquet
Fognini d. Carreno Busta

I’ll go with the veteran Fognini as my champion this week in Bastad, there are a host of accomplished clay courters who could catch fire and win this thing, but Fognini seems due to make a run.

Final
Fognini d. Schwartzman