Hangzhou Open 2024: Mitchell Krueger vs Roberto Carballes Baena preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (LL) Mitchell Krueger vs Roberto Carballes Baena

Date: Friday, September 20, 2024

Tournament: Hangzhou Open 2024

Round: Second Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo Center in Hangzhou, China

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $1,000,630

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - DAZN

Mitchell Krueger vs Roberto Carballes Baena preview

Mitchell Krueger in action at the Oracle Challenger (Picture: Getty)

Lucky loser Mitchell Krueger will lock horns with World No. 55 Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round of the 2024 Hangzhou Open on Friday, September 20.

Krueger entered Hangzhou with a 2-3 match record on the ATP Tour. Both of his wins came during the North American hardcourt swing in Washington and New York, where he incidentally made it through the qualifiers to enter the main draw.

Krueger began his campaign in Hangzhou in the qualifiers, where he was seeded third. He defeated Nicolas Mejia in the first round but lost to Yasutaka Uchiyama in the following round. He was, however, awarded a lucky loser spot in the main draw after third seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry had to withdraw due to a wrist injury, which also granted him a first-round bye.

Baena, meanwhile, entered Hangzhou with a 20-20 match record this year, with his best result being a runner-up finish at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco, where he lost to Matteo Berrettini. He also reached the quarterfinals at the Swedish Open.

Baena made the finals of the Seville challenger last week where he went down to Daniel Altmaier in the final. He kicked off his Hangzhou campaign with a tricky 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory over Corentin Moutet in the first round.

Mitchell Krueger vs Roberto Carballes Baena head-to-head

Roberto Carballes Baena edges Mitchell Krueger 1-0 in their head-to-head, winning their only previous encounter 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (3) at the US Open way back in 2018.

Mitchell Krueger vs Roberto Carballes Baena odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Mitchell Krueger	+120	-1.5 (+250)	Over 22.5 (-120)
Roberto Carballes Baena	-155	+1.5 (-400)	Under 22.5 (-120)

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

Mitchell Krueger vs Roberto Carballes Baena prediction

Roberto Carballes Baena in action at the National Bank Open (Picture: Getty)

Mitchell Krueger played a near-flawless opening match in his qualifiers but faced a rude awakening during his second-round loss. His rich vein of form recently has been a real positive, however, and we could see him want to end the season on a high.

Roberto Carballes Baena, on the other hand, had to work hard during his opener but showcased brilliant ball striking at crucial moments to secure the win. He was particularly strong on return and followed it up with relatively easy holds of serve.

Baena enters this match as the favorite on paper, but it is Krueger who has a better record on the hardcourts since the North American swing. In all fairness, most of Baena's success has come on the clay courts.

An upset in favor of the American could likely be on the cards if he continues serving well and playing the big points better. Attacking the net will also be key.

Pick: Baena to win in three sets.