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Croatia Open 2025 Preview – Odds, Tips, & Predictions

Date: July 20-26 Venue: Umag, Croatia Defending champion: Francisco Cerundolo A world-class field will once again congregate for the storied Croatia Open this week. This 250-series level event has been a mainstay of the ATP Tour calendar since 1990, and the honours board is stacked with decorated stars, including several former World No.1s, such as Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Not only that, but it has given past NextGen stars, including Carlos Alcaraz (2021 champion), Jannik Sinner (2022 winner), and Holger Rune, a stage to exhibit their talents.

Charles Perrin
Charles Perrin

Last updated: 2025-07-15

Chad Nagel

6 minutes read

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Argentine's Francisco Cerundolo returns to Italy's Jannik Sinner

Argentine's Francisco Cerundolo returns to Italy's Jannik Sinner//Getty Images

For clay court enthusiasts, this is a must-watch tournament, and the top tennis betting sites will keep to their end of the bargain with a plethora of outrights and other player props throughout the event, and odds will often fluctuate.

Francisco Cerundolo is one of the prize draws of the Croatia Open, given that he is the defending champion, but he might not have things all his own way.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas has withdrawn from the tournament after sustaining a back injury during Wimbledon.

A cheque for just shy of €600,000 is awarded to the winner, but there are also precious ranking points available. Who will shine this week? Our tournament preview contains tennis betting insights which should inspire you to execute your tennis betting strategies.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

Although it seemed that the clay court season had finished, the masters of the red dirt will give something for the fans to sink their teeth into at the Croatia Open.

To whet your appetite for this historic competition, we have weighed in with some pre-tournament outrights found at the leading online sports betting operators.

  1. Francisco Cerundolo – 19/5 (4.80) – 20.8%

  2. Luciano Darderi – 8/1 (9.00) – 11.1%

    Odds courtesy of N1Bet, subject to change.

Head-to-Head Record (Francisco Cerundolo vs Luciano Darderi)

We’re looking forward to the Croatia Open, and as part of our research, we like to examine potential matchups.

Obviously, the draw will dictate which clashes could happen, but having explored the head-to-heads on the ATP Tour, we think Francisco Cerundolo vs Luciano Darderi could provoke some interest.

Darderi has enjoyed a rise to prominence over the past 12 months, and he relishes playing on the clay. He won in Marrakech earlier in the season, and he also reached the final in Naples, but came unstuck against Cerundolo.

Meanwhile, Cerundolo has now won a title for each of the past three seasons, and he’s a great problem solver on the clay. Tennis stats for betting are fundamental, and we’ve revealed the tale of the tape between Cerundolo and Darderi.

Past Few Meetings

  1. February 21, 2025: (Rio Open quarter-finals): Francisco Cerundolo beat Luciano Darderi 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2

  2. February 11, 2025 (Buenos Aires Open Round of 32): Francisco Cerundolo beat Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-4

  3. April 3, 2024: (Houston Open Round of 16): Luciano Darderi beat Fransico Cerundolo 6-4, 22-6, 7-6 (4)

Players Form

Although the best betting sites for tennis might have some information on the players, they might tend to brush over past performances.

This is where we come in. As part of our undiluted preview, we have run the rule over a few contenders that could shake things up at the Croatia Open.

Francisco Cerundolo

Known for his aggressive style and excellent footwork, Francisco Cerundolo has squeezed back into the top 20, and he’s not short on ambition. Last year, Cerundolo dug in deep to come from behind and pinch the title from Lorenzo Musetti, and it was an impressive performance.

The Argentine is great in clutch moments, and apart from a big forehand, his variety makes him so exciting to watch.

Cerundolo, as mentioned, has now a won at least a title in each of the past three seasons, and he will want to rekindle his fond memories in Umag. He is the main dangerman in the draw.

Luciano Darderi

A key part of the Italian tennis revolution, Luciano Darderi has been climbing the rankings, and at the time of writing, he’s back up to 55th.

Getting back into the world’s top 30 will be his main focus, and while the likes of Cerundolo have posed problems for him this term, his talent is undeniable.

With 70% of his first serves won on clay and 40% of his break opportunities converted, in terms of tennis betting tips, Darderi, who was knocked out in the Round of 16 12 months ago by Jakub Mensik, could be worth keeping a close eye on.

Tallon Griekspoor

While he might be described as a Dutch powerhouse, Tallon Griekspoor often flies under the radar.

Griekspoor is a brilliant all-court player, who lifted a title on grass before Wimbledon (Mallorca), and a great ball striker from the baseline.

A win for him would be gratefully received, and it could propel him further towards the top 20. He could well be a dark horse this week.

Previous Croatia Open Umag Winners

Some sites for tennis betting might contain information on past winners, but we have revealed the past few champions in case you need a quick reminder.

  1. 2024 – Francisco Cerundolo

  2. 2023 – Alexei Popyrin

  3. 2022 – Jannik Sinner

  4. 2021 – Carlos Alcaraz

  5. 2019 – Dusan Lajovic

Suggested Bets

We’ve hurtled back over to our recommended tennis sites for betting, and pinpointed some more juicy lines to tap into ahead of the Croatia Open.

  1. Francisco Cerundolo to win the Croatia Open: As mentioned, Francisco Cerundolo is a great problem solver, and he never really knows when he’s beaten. He has various shots and tricks in his locker, and while there is pressure upon defending a title, he could deliver the goods (8/5 with 1xBet).

  2. Luciano Darderi to reach at least the quarter-final: Luciano Darderi is fast becoming one of the darlings of Italian tennis, and you can’t ignore how he’s been at times this season. While he’s suffered some disappointing results, he has run into the likes of Ben Shelton, but Darderi could turn in some great displays, and a quarter-final berth at minimum seems attainable (3/1 with BC.Game).

  3. Winner of the Croatia Open to be decided in three sets: The past few editions of the tournament have been bruising encounters where the final has needed three sets to decide the winner. We think the showpiece match could be a long one, and a match that goes the distance again (7/4 with BetWinner)

Croatia Open: Francisco Cerundolo to Win

One of the most compelling 250 events on the ATP Tour, the Croatia Open usually serves up some tantalising tennis, and there is plenty of talent on display.

While Tallon Griekspoor is a dark horse, it remains to be seen whether his game will stand up in the tournament. Luciano Darderi, meanwhile, has made strides, but we don’t think Francisco Cerundolo will have too many problems throughout and he can expose the weaknesses of the others in the field. He’s our pick to go all the way and defend his title.

If you want to get involved, don’t forget to explore our best signup bonus sports betting offers, and capitalise on these before the tournament heats up.

Charles Perrin
Charles PerrinSports Writer

Charles Perrin is a highly experienced sports betting content writer with over six years of working with some of the leading sportsbooks in the UK, including bet365 and William Hill.