Croatia vs Finland Preview & Prediction | 2023 Davis Cup Finals | Group Stage
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THE FACTS
When is Croatia vs Finland on and what time does it start? Croatia vs Finland will take place on Friday 15th September, 2023 – not before 12:00 (UK)
Where is Croatia vs Finland taking place? Croatia vs Finland will take place at Arena Gripe, Sports Centre in Split, Croatia
What surface is Croatia vs Finland being played on? Croatia vs Finland will take place on an indoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Croatia vs Finland? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Croatia vs Finland
Where can I watch Croatia vs Finland? All matches can be watched on Tennis Channel International’s Pay TV, while all Great Britain matches will be televised and streamed on BBC platforms
THE PREDICTION
2021 Davis Cup champions Croatia came in hugely underpowered this week with Marin Cilic and Borna Coric missing but secret weapon Borna Gojo provided once again with an incredible, career-best ranking win over world number 11 Frances Tiafoe to secure a crucial point. The hosts still lost the tie 2-1 to a stacked American side but a three-set doubles decider only just edged away from them to suggest they can edge through Group D in second place behind clear favourites USA.
Finland gave a good account of themselves on Tuesday with world number 125 Otto Virtanen upsetting an out-of-sorts Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets to take a 1-0 lead against the Netherlands. World number 57 Emil Ruusuvuori should have fared better than he did in a straight-sets defeat to Tallon Griekspoor but the 24-year-old is capable of much better than his ranking suggests, particularly in these conditions, and Finland’s doubles pair of Harri Heliovaara and Patrik Niklas-Salminen did well to take a serious Dutch pair to three sets.
25-year-old Borna Gojo set a career-high ATP world ranking of 77th this week after an incredible run to the round of 16 at the US Open was ended by eventual champion Novak Djokovic. The Croat had shown very little sign of achieving something like that on the ATP tour but he has been Croatia’s cult hero internationally for several seasons now, with his upset over Frances Tiafoe on Wednesday just the latest in a long line of stellar performances for his nation. Gojo deserves his chance to lead Croatia as a first option in Cilic and Coric’s absence and he looks the favourite against Emil Ruusuvuori backed by a partisan crowd in Split, which takes plenty of pressure away from up-and-comer Dino Prizmic against fellow youngster Otto Virtanen.
Croatia’s doubles pairing of world number two Ivan Dodig and number 22 Mate Pavic make for an excellent anchor should they need a decider but Heliovaara and Niklas-Salminen could make things interesting after their efforts against the Dutch. Back Croatia to win the tie here, probably 2-1.
