The 2025 Hangzhou Open will enter Day 3 on September 18, with some of the top players in action. Sebastian Korda will mark his return to the tour after retiring from the US Open first round due to a lower back issue.
Fifth-seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli and eighth-seed Matteo Berrettini are the two seeded players in action on Day 3. Aleksandar Kovacevic will take on Valentin Royer while Korda faces Adam Walton in their respective opening-round fixtures.
On that note, let’s take a look at the predictions for some of the most notable matches on Day 3 of the Hangzhou Open.
1) Sebastian Korda vs Adam Walton
Sebastian Korda will take on Adam Walton in the Hangzhou Open first round on Thursday. This will be the first time the two meet on the tour. Korda has played just two tournaments since the French Open and ended up retiring in both due to illness and back injury.
Walton made inroads in Los Cabos, defeating the likes of James Duckworth and Nishesh Basavareddy to reach the semifinals. He suffered a second-round exit at the US Open after falling to Coleman Wong in a four-set affair.
Although Sebastian Korda is the better-ranked and has the superior overall play, Walton is expected to edge through in this fixture due to his opponent’s injury concerns.
Predicted winner: Adam Walton
2) Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Valentin Royer
Kovacevic will take on qualifier Valentin Royer in the Hangzhou Open first round, after the former’s initial match-up with Luca Nardi got cancelled due to the Italian’s withdrawal.
Kovacevic made an impressive run to the Los Cabos Open final, but failed to win the title after losing to Denis Shapovalov. However, the American has managed just two wins in seven matches since then.
Royer’s best finish during the North American hard-court swing came at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, where he reached the second round. The Frenchman defeated Charles Chen (6-3, 7-5) and Eliot Spizzirri (7-5, 4-6, 6-3) in the Hangzhou Open qualifiers.
Royer registered impressive wins during the qualifiers. However, getting a similar result against a better-skilled Kovacevic will be an uphill task.
Predicted winner: Aleksandar Kovacevic
3) Camilo Ugo Carabelli vs Rinky Hijikata
Fifth-seed Carabelli will square off against qualifier Hijikata for the first time on the tour on Thursday. The Argentine has secured just a solitary win across four matches during the North American hard-court swing. At the US Open, he lost to compatriot Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opener.
Hijikata has played just one hard-court event since Wimbledon (he was unable to advance to the main round of the Citi Open), the US Open. At the New York Grand Slam, the Australian suffered a straight-sets loss against Luciano Darderi in the first round. In the Hangzhou Open qualifiers, he defeated Christopher Eubanks (4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4) and Brandon Holt (6-2, 7-5).
Carabelli is the clear winner heading into the match. Although he’s not at his best on hard, his strong physical game should help him defeat Hijikata without much trouble.
Predicted winner: Camilo Ugo Carabelli
4) Matteo Berrettini vs Dalibor Svrcina
Eighth-seed Berrettini will face lucky-loser Dalibor Svrcina in the opener. The Italian has not competed on the tour since Wimbledon due to a right oblique injury. He secured decent results on hard courts during the season’s first half, reaching the quarterfinals in Qatar, Dubai, and Miami.
Svrcina has mostly played in Challenger tournaments this year. His last outing on the main tour was at the Canadian Open, where he suffered a second-round exit. At the Hangzhou Open, the Czech earned a walkover against Timofey Skatov at 0-6, 6-4, 2-0 and lost against Giulio Zeppieri, 1-6, 4-6, in the qualifiers.
Although Berrettini is returning to the tour after a long hiatus, he should not have much trouble getting past Svrcina, who has limited experience playing at the top level.
Predicted winner: Matteo Berrettini
alt=”Gautham Krishna” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Rupesh
