Quarterfinal competition at the Athens ATP 250 is set for Thursday, when Novak Djokovic gets back on the court. He is facing Nuno Borges, while an all-unseeded showdown pits Sebastian Korda against Miomir Kecmanovic.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Nuno Borges
The Hellenic Championship marks Djokovic’s first event since the Shanghai Masters, where he advanced to the semifinals before getting upset by eventual champion Valentin Vacherot. This is the 38-year-old Serb’s third ATP 250 tournament of the season, having previously lifted the trophy in Geneva in addition to a quarterfinal performance in Brisbane. The quarters might already be enough for him in Athens. Djokovic already has one match under his belt (a 7-6(3), 6-1 defeat of Alejandro Tabilo on Tuesday) and he probably does not need more than two with expected Nitto ATP Finals participation beginning on either Sunday or Monday.
Up next for the 24-time major champion on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Borges. The world No. 47 from Portugal is no stranger to big wins, as he beat Rafael Nadal in an ATP clay-court final last summer (Bastad). Obviously the Spaniard was a shadow of his real self at that point, but getting the best of Nadal in a clay-court final is impressive any way you slice it. Borges, who has knocked off Stefanos Sakellaridis and Eliot Spizzirri so far this week, won’t be afraid of the moment. Sound the upset alert.
Pick: Borges in 3
Sebastian Korda vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Korda and Kecmanovic will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Korda, who has prevailed twice this season–6-3, 7-6(4) in the Adelaide semifinals and 6-1, 6-4 in the Winston-Salem quarters. Kecmanovic’s lone win has come via a 7-6(4), 6-3 decision at the 2022 Miami Masters.
Kecmanovic has already defeated two in-form opponents this week in Kamil Majchrzak and Luciano Darderi. Korda is coming off back-to-back three-setters against Alexei Popyrin and Damir Dzumhur, so the 52nd-ranked American could be vulnerable even though he is the favorite on paper. It’s also worth noting that Korda recently suffered first-round losses in both Basel (Ugo Humbert) and Paris (Lorenzo Sonego) in easy straight sets, so his confidence level has to be low despite two wins so far in Athens.
Pick: Kecmanovic in 3
