Mikhail Kukushkin vs. Borna Coric – Prediction (23.10.2019)

Preview and players comparison.

Mikhail Kukushkin has surprisingly dominated this matchup in the past by winning all his previous three matches against Borna Coric — recently in the Davis Cup 2018. Though Borna Coric is by far the better player of these two, his recent struggles for form and fitness gives Mikhail Kukushkin a fair chance here.

Borna Coric makes his third appearance in ATP Vienna with a three-match losing streak on his back, which also includes a disappointing three-set defeat at the hands of the struggling Taro Daniel in the first round of ATP Tokyo earlier this month. The 22-year-old Croatian failed in the qualifying stages of ATP Vienna during his debut campaign back in 2014 but did well during his recent visit in 2018 as he defeated the likes of Albert Ramos Vinolas and Lucas Pouille to reach the quarterfinal. Fitness issues impacted Borna Coric’s performance in recent months, and as a result, former world #12 Borna Coric dropped out of top 20 and is currently sitting at #22.

Making his ATP Vienna debut in 2018 as a qualifier, Mikhail Kukushkin won five consecutive matches to reach the semifinal, and it’s vital for him to defend maximum points this week to protect his ranking. The 31-year-Kazakh would be quite confident heading into this clash as he has done quite well on indoor hardcourts in these ten months, having bagged nine wins at the expense of 14 defeats, with the best result being a runner-up finish to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Marseille in February.

Match Info and Live Scores.