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The 2021 Plava Laguna Croatia Open is set to kick off on Monday in the city of Umag. The ATP 250 claycourt event will feature several veterans of the men's tour, including Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Richard Gasquet and Dusan Lajovic. Also present in the draw are talented youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune.
The tournament, which has a total prize pool of €419,470, returns to the calendar after the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On that note, here is a look at the prospects of some of the top players in the main draw.
Top half: Youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune look to make their mark in Umag
Seeded players: [1] Albert Ramos-Vinolas, [3] Filip Krajinovic, [6] Jaume Munar, and [7] Carlos Alcaraz
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Expected semifinal: Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Filip Krajinovic
Dark horse: Holger Rune
Top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas headlines the top half of the draw.
After a semifinal finish in Cordoba and a title-winning campaign in Estoril, Ramos-Vinolas has gone through a rough patch. The 33-year-old is currently on a seven-match losing streak and will be desperate to make a deep run in Umag.
He has a relatively straightforward route to the semifinals. The Spaniard, who has been handed a first-round bye, opens against either Duje Adjukovic or a qualifier and is likely to face sixth seed Jaume Munar in the quarterfinals.
Munar, a solid claycourter who reached the final in Marbella and the semifinal in Parma, faces a tricky opening-round encounter against Stefano Travaglia. If he comes through that clash, the Spaniard could meet fellow countryman Carlos Taberner in the second round.
Also present in the top half of the draw is 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. The seventh seed has made giant strides over the last year, especially on clay. The Spaniard reached the semifinals in Marbella before winning a Challenger title in Oeiras, Portugal.
Alcaraz takes on Lucas Pouille in the first round and could then meet Salvatore Caruso in the second.
Third seed Filip Krajinovic and wildcard Holger Rune are the other obstacles standing in Alcaraz's path to the semifinals. Krajinovic is the third seed and in good form at the moment. But his participation in Umag is in doubt given the fact that he has made it to the final in Hamburg, where he takes on Pablo Carreno Busta later on Sunday.
Rune, on the other hand, comes into the tournament full of confidence. The 18-year-old Dane has shown glimpses of his potential this year, and his recent run in Challenger events make him a potential threat.
Rune opens his campaign against Radu Albot.
Predicted semifinal result: Carlos Alcaraz def. Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Bottom half: Dusan Lajovic and Richard Gasquet look to kickstart their season
Seeded players: [2] Dusan Lajovic, [4] Richard Gasquet, [5] Aljaz Bedene, and [8] Gianluca Mager
Expected semifinal: Dusan Lajovic vs Richard Gasquet
Dark horse: Marco Cecchinato
Second seed and defending champion Dusan Lajovic highlights the bottom half of the draw. The Serb has had a rather underwhelming claycourt season but he comes into Umag on the back of a morale-boosting quarterfinal finish in Hamburg.
Lajovic opens his campaign against either Pablo Cuevas or Bernabe Zapata Miralles. With the likes of Corentin Moutet, Pedro Martinez and Gianluca Mager also in his section, it's unlikely to be a comfortable run to the final four for the Serb.
Fourth seed Richard Gasquet will look to turn around his fortunes in Umag. The Frenchman is in the midst of a dismal run and is yet to make it past the quarterfinals in a single event this year.
Gasquet's path to the semifinals is littered with obstacles. He could face Jiri Vesely in the second round before a potential meeting with fifth seed Aljaz Bedene or 2018 Roland Garros semifinalist Marco Cecchinato in the quarterfinals.
Cecchinato has been in good touch on clay this season, most notably reaching the final in Parma. If he finds his best form, he could prove to be a difficult opponent in Umag this week.
Predicted semifinal result: Dusan Lajovic def. Marco Cecchinato
Predicted champion
Carlos Alcaraz
