Banja Luka: Andrey Rublev vs Dusan Lajovic Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Banja Luka Open final match featuring Andrey Rublev vs Dusan Lajovic on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Andrey Rublev vs Dusan Lajovic Preview

Andrey Rublev will be gunning his second successive title of the 2023 clay swing. But Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic has had a rollercoaster week and will eye another scalp. Who will win the inaugural Banja Luka Open final?

Andrey Rublev made it eight straight wins on the dirt by beating Alex Molcan 6-2, 6-4 to advance into his second successive final on clay. The Russian who recently broke his duck at Masters 1000 level in Monte Carlo, converted five of 11 break points against the Slovak lefty and was consistent from the baseline. He is yet to drop a set this week and will face the man of the moment Dusan Lajovic in the title match at the Banja Luka Open.

Dusan Lajovic, for his part, won an incredible lung buster of a semifinal match against compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic. Lajovic trailed 4-6, 4-5, but Kecmanovic failed to serve out the match. The 32-year-old with second wind found his rhythm in the tiebreak to level the match. In the decider, both players looked totally spent, but neither was giving in, with the match featuring some breathtaking rallies. After the two players exchanged a pair of breaks in the third set, it was Lajovic who made his move to break Kecmanovic again for a 5-4 lead. He went on to serve for a place in his first ATP final since Umag 2019.

Andrey Rublev vs Dusan Lajovic Prediction and Pick

Dusan Lajovic leads Andrey Rublev 2-0 in their head-to-head. Remarkably, the last time Lajovic made an ATP final, he defeated Rublev in his path doing so in straight sets en route to the title in Umag almost four years ago. But Lajovic comes into the Banja Luka Open final physically and mentally spent. His semifinal match against Kecmanovic lasted three hours, which came on the back of his career-best win over Novak Djokovic. It will take a minor miracle for him to get a result here. With that said, we’re taking Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets again.