The last week of the regular ATP Tour has four players in the hunt for the last three Turin spots, with Djokovic choosing not to play, Ruud and Rublev in Metz, and De Minaur here in Belgrade. While that will be the main storyline of this week’s tournament, there will be plenty of exciting tennis going on aside from the Race and Day 1 in Belgrade promises to be a great one.
ATP Belgrade Day 1 Predictions
Marton Fucsovics vs Duje Ajdukovic (Qualifying)
Head-to-head: first meeting
Fucsovics is far from his best days, but he is still quite a solid player, who can have a decent run at any time. Meanwhile Ajdukovic has failed to really make a significant breakthrough thus far. Given the players’ respective level and form, it should be Fucsovics who advances into the main draw in this last tournament of the year.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 2
Denis Shapovalov vs Hugo Grenier (Qualifying)
Head-to-head: first meeting
Failing to get direct entry in a late season ATP 250 shows just how far Shapovalov has fallen in recent years, but he has actually shown some signs of improvement lately, stringing some match wins and slowly climbing back up the rankings. He will certainly do his best to get into the main draw here and then have a good run to end the year well and set the foundations for an hopefully much better 2025.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 2
Hamad Medjedovic vs Brandon Nakashima
Head-to-head: first meeting
Nakashima is very close to a seeding position for the 2025 Australian Open and a good run here could well clinch that, but he won’t have an easy task against a Medjedovic who plays at home in front of his crowd. That said, Nakashima is the better overall player of the two and should have a slight edge here all things considered.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Juncheng Shang vs Fabian Marozsan
Head-to-head: Shang 2-0 Marozsan
Both of these up and coming players have struggled quite a bit lately; Marozsan has lost his last four matches, while Shang has done nothing of note after winning the title in Chengdu. This match will be a great opportunity for both to get their mojo back and judging by their previous matchups (both in Grand Slam qualifying last year) Shang seems to have the edge.
Prediction: Shang in 3
Main Photo Credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
