Stan Wawrinka vs Roberto Carballes Baena Prediction & Betting Tips - Umag, Croatia

Prediction published on 28/07/2023, 06:29  by Nella Wagah | Modified on 28/07/2023 at 07:35 in Tennis Predictions

Sixth seed Stan Wawrinka will on Friday battle fourth seed Roberto Carballes Baena in the Croatia Open quarterfinals. Wawrinka ended a 16-year hiatus to make his fifth appearance in Umag. He last played here in 2007, the season after he was crowned champion. The Swiss will hope to triumph here once again. So far so good in his return as he has won his two matches without dropping a set. To advance to this round, he defeated Federico Coria by the loss of six games. His 19th win of the season, moved him up seven places to 65th in the live ranking. This is the highest he has been ranked since 2021. The majority of his victories, nine, have come on clay, one of which was against Baena. The two players met for the first time this season in Gstaad.

Roberto Carballes Baena was forced to retire in the second set of that first-round tie in Gstaad. He will have this fresh in his mind as it was just 10 days ago. The Spaniard has struggled this season and is currently on a losing record. His form however on clay has kept him going with 13 of his 17 wins coming on the surface. To begin his second appearance in Umag, he made light work of the unseeded Taro Daniel and won in straight sets. He dropped four games in the process, one in the second set. Despite the win, Baena has dropped one place to 60th in the live ranking. He will seek to advance past this round for the first time. The winner will next play either second-seed Lorenzo Sonego or unseeded Jaume Munar for a chance at the final.