All in all, this version of Kecmanovic shouldn’t be all that surprising to watch when considering he was part of the Next Gen ATP Finals back in 2019. The 22-year-old also happened to run into Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last week, and he came very close to winning that match. Kecmanovic just barely lost a first-set tiebreaker in that one, and he ended up winning the second set before falling short in the decider. If he pulled that one off, who knows how the rest of the tournament would have played out?
Kecmanovic will now look to make a statement with a win over Korda, and it’s fair to wonder whether or not mental toughness will become a factor here. Kecmanovic has all the tools to compete with Korda on the court, with a booming forehand being the shot you’ll want to keep an eye on. However, the 22-year-old is also extremely poised no matter how big the moment gets, and the same really can’t be said for Korda. We’ve already seen the American blow matches in which he was looking to close it out on his serve, with his loss to Cameron Norrie in Delray Beach being a recent example. That type of stuff is hard to overlook in a match-up that is projected to be tight, and it’s also important to note that Korda can occasionally rack up unforced errors with his ground strokes.
While it might be tempting to simply bet on the bigger name, Kecmanovic's recent success should show you that there’s just a ton of value in backing the Serbian on the moneyline. Not much separates these two from a talent perspective, but Kecmanovic has the mental edge and the momentum. Recent form is always important when handicapping a match, and there aren’t many players on the planet that are playing better than Kecmanovic right now.
The Pick: Kecmanovic To Win (-135)
