Srpska Open draw: Novak Djokovic could face early Stan Wawrinka test

Shahida Jacobs 15 Apr 2023 4:59 PM

Novak Djokovic serving

The draw for the inaugural Srpska Open has been unveiled and top seed Novak Djokovic could face a tricky opening clash against Stan Wawrinka.

The top four seeds in the 28-player ATP 250 draw have byes into the second and reigning world No 1 Djokovic will face either three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka or rising French star Luca van Assche in his first match in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Both Djokovic and Wawrinka are coming off disappointing defeats at the Monte Carlo Masters as the former was stunned by Lorenzo Musetti in the third round while the Swiss lost in two sets against Taylor Fritz in the second round.

The pair have met 26 times on the ATP Tour and the Serbian leads the head-to-head record 20-6, having also won their most recent encounter at the 2022 Italian Open. Wawrinka, of course, won two of his Grand Slams by beating Djokovic in the final as he defeated the Serbian in the 2016 US Open final and the 2015 French Open final.

However, the Swiss will need to get past 18-year-old Van Assche first before he can think about playing Djokovic.

Eighth seed Gregoire Barrere is the projected quarter-final opponent, but the Frenchman will likely have to get past Dusan Lajovic or Filip Krajinovic in the second round.

Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka is also in the top half of the draw and the sixth seed also has a difficult opener as he takes on wildcard Gael Monfils in the first round while he is projected to meet fourth seed Miomr Kecmanovic is the quarter-final with Djokovic likely to face the winner.

Second seed Andrey Rublev, who is in the semi-final of the Monte Carlo Masters, is the biggest name in the bottom half of the draw and he will face either Frenchman Hugo Gaston or Juan Pablo Varillas in the second round.

Rublev is projected to meet seventh seed Richard Gasquet in the quarter-final, but the Frenchman will need to beat Marco Cecchinato in the first round and a win will see him take on either Damur Džumhur or a qualifier in the second round.

Third seed Borna Coric opens his campaign against either Laslo Đere or Roman Safiullin while he is expected to meet fifth seed Tallon Griekspoor in the quarter-final. Dutchman Griekspoor, though, will need to get past Alexei Popyrin in the first round while Alex Molčan or Taro Daniel could be a second-round opponent.

The Srpska Open in Banja Luka replaced the Serbia Open on the ATP Tour calendar as the facilities at Belgrade are undergoing a major revamp.