Nordea Open: Radu Albot vs. Holger Rune 7/12/21 Tennis Prediction

Moldovan Radu Albot will face Holger Rune of Denmark in the First Round of the 2021 Nordea Open held in Bastad, Sweden. The match is scheduled to be played on Monday July 12th, 2021 at a time yet to be determined.

This is an interesting match between one of the most promising young players on the ATP Tour in Holger Rune, and the veteran Radu Albot, a one time titlist on the Tour. While it may look a bit one sided on paper, their careers are going in vastly different directions and that could make for a very interesting match. an the youngster get the upset here and advance to the Round of 16 for just the second time at this level?

Radu Albot is unseeded here at the Nordea Open and is currently ranked #93 in the world. The Moldovan has had a relatively successful career, winning one ATP title at the Delray Beach Open and being ranked as high as #39 on the ATP Tour. However, he has suffered a shocking loss of form over the past few seasons and has had some disastrous results. He shockingly has not made it past the First Round in his past eight tournaments and it really is difficult to put any faith in him these days. With that being said, he is still a former top 50 player with tons of experience, so one cannot totally discount him, especially against a very young and inexperienced opponent in Holger Rune.

Holger Rune is ranked #219 in the world rankings and received a Wild Card to enter this draw here in Bastad. The young Dane has shown flashes in his short career and is one of the most promising teens in world tennis. He is also at home on clay, having won the Junior Roland Garros title and having some strong results on the Challenger Tour. He is yet to truly break out on the ATP Tour, but he did have a run to the Quarter-Finals in Chile earlier this year, defeating Benoit Paire in the process. While he is the underdog here against Radu Albot, he will be fully aware of his opponent’s struggles recently and will be backing himself to cause the upset.

This is the first match between the two players, and I do think that it will be a lot closer than the rankings may suggest. Radu Albot is ranked over 100 spots higher than Holger Rune, but he really is a shell of his former self and it is hard to trust him. Holger Rune is a young talent who will break into the top 100 sooner rather than later, but inexperience is the only thing holding him back at the moment. Despite his recent issues, I am going with Radu Albot to win here. He has been disastrous lately, but his experience is still a very valuable tool and it is unlikely that he will lose to such a young player here. Give me both players to win a set, and Radu Albot to get the win and advance.