An upbeat Laslo Djere takes on Frenchman Constant Lestienne in the quarterfinals of the 2023 ASB Classic on Thursday.
The 26-year-old began the season by playing in the Tata Maharashtra Open. He got off to a fine start as he defeated 5th seed Alex Molcan in the first round. Djere crashed out in the following round following a loss against Maximilian Marterer.
The Serbian star picked up a great win in the round of 32 in Auckland. He came back from a set down to defeat Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). If this win was memorable, his second-round win was special as he defeated world No. 3 Casper Ruud after once again losing the first set. This was Djere’s first top-5 win and he hit 18 aces en route to victory.
The world No. 65 played in the Adelaide International 1. He was up against eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the first round. The 21-time Grand Slam champion did not take much time to get the better of Lestienne.
In Auckland, Lestienne had a great start as he made light work of Pedro Cachin in the round of 32. The match ended 6-3, 6-1. In the round of 16, Lestienne came back from a 1-6, 3-5 deficit to beat Gregoire Barrere and advance to the quarterfinals. The match ended 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in favor of the 30-year-old.
The two players will be facing each other for the first time. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0
Prediction: Laslo Djere to win in straight sets.
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