Taro Daniel vs Roberto Carballes Baena Prediction & Betting Tips - Umag, Croatia

Prediction published on 27/07/2023, 04:30  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 27/07/2023 at 04:37 in Tennis Predictions

World number 64 Roberto Carballes Baena will take on 113th-ranked Taro Daniel in the second round of the ATP Umag Open on Thursday. The winner of this match will face either Stan Wawrinka or Federico Coria in the next round. These two have met eight times in the past, with Carballes Baena leading 6-2; however, only four of those matches were at tour level, and they are tied 2-2. On clay at the tour level, Baena leads 2-1. Number four seed Carballes Baena received a bye in the first round, meaning this will be his first match after retiring against Stan Wawrinka at the Gstaad Open a little over a week ago. He was already down a set in that match and was reported to have sustained a neck injury. The Spaniard has had a tricky season, though he has undoubtedly done his best work on the clay, most notably in Marrakech, where he earned his second ATP title by overcoming Alexandre Muller in three sets in the final. Baena broke back inside the top 50 following that win, but he has been unable to follow up on that performance, failing to make it past the third round of the next nine tournaments leading up to this one. Still, he has a solid record over this opponent and will fancy his chances of progressing. 

Meanwhile, Taro Daniel was on the verge of a first-round exit to wildcard Martin Landaluce. The Japanese was broken three times in the first set and won just one game while finding himself 3-1 down in no time in the second set. However, he came storming back in the second half of the match and secured his progression in just under three hours. Daniels' best run this season came on the challenger circuit in Cagliari, where he reached the quarter-final, but he is yet to get past the last 16 at the top level. The Japanese has never been the biggest fan of the clay and is currently 7-9 on the surface and 23-20 overall for the year. He has faired well against this opponent at tour level but will need to show improvement from his last match if he is to progress.