Saturday preview by Lawrence Frankopan
We have announced the day as blockbuster Friday and it certainly was. Between Joao Sousa and Fabio Fognini things were solved in real thriller. Roberto Bautista-Agut against showed Borna Ćorić how good he is and why rarely anyone likes to see his name in their part of the draw. Dominic Thiem struggled, but still made it into the next round and Gael Monfils and Philipp Kohlschreiber played the best match of the tournament.
Saturday will offer us new treats and the possibility to watch top tennis. The match Dominic Thiem vs. Gael Monfils has all the prerequisites to be a real treat. Gael proved last night against Kohlschreiber what a great fighter he is and that he is important for every tournament. The crowd cheered him, the atmosphere was amazing and we have to admit that the vibe around the tournament is amazing when he is playing. To get his victory dance he will have to play incredibly well against Thiem. Dominic has won two matches where his opponents had to give up, so he is definitely fresh. Will his strength overcome or rather Gael's lucidity? Dominic looks great, but who can bet against Gael? This is one for the aficionados…
Before them, the court will host Roberto Bautista-Agut vs. Joao Sousa. The two "where not on the radar" but were playing great tennis. Bautista-Agut demonstrated against Borna Ćorić how inconvenient he can be, and Sousa plays in Umag incredible tennis. He shattered the Italian hopes Seppi and Fognini and against Bautista he will certainly have something to say.
At the end of the program we will see the doubles finals. Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen failed to give a Croatian flair to the final weekend, but Croatian tennis fans can certainly be satisfied with what they saw in Umag from their local representatives. In the end, the guests are waiting for them, Gael, Dominic, Joao and Roberto...
