Banja Luka 2023: Gasquet vs Cecchinato Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Banja Luka Open first-round match featuring Richard Gasquet vs Marco Cecchinato on Monday, April 17, 2023.

Gasquet vs Cecchinato Match Preview and Prediction

Richard Gasquet is looking for his first win on clay in 2023. Will he get it at the expense of Marco Cecchinato at the inaugural Banja Luka Open?

Richard Gasquet has played in two clay-court tournaments this month but made early exits in both Marrakech and Monte Carlo. This slow start pales in comparison to last year when the Frenchman opened up with a quarterfinal run at his first tournament and went on to win 13 matches on the surface. It remains to be seen how costly that slow start could prove to be at the Banja Luka Open when he squares off against fellow one-hander Marco Cecchinato.

Marco Cecchinato, meanwhile, produced something akin to his A-game in Estoril, reaching the semifinal there in impressive fashion. He defeated a formidable trio of challengers including Fabio Fognini and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The week in Portugal was a welcome relief for Cecchinato who had struggled to win matches all season. Let’s see if he can keep up this level at the Banja Luka Open when he plays Richard Gasquet.

Gasquet vs Cecchinato Prediction and Pick

Richard Gasquet and Marco Cecchinato are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. Cecchinato won their only clay-court meeting in Bastad two seasons ago. There is no denying that Gasquet has put together a better season than the Italian by winning a title in Auckland in January. But the formbook in the past week or so favors the Italian mightily here. Cecchinato came off age in Estoril and we are siding with the Italian to extend Gasquet’s winless run on the clay.