Monte Carlo’s Masters 1000 tournament heralds the start of the European clay court season for 2021. Many of the ATP’s best have descended on this coastal paradise once again. Here is your look at day 2 action featuring Fabio Fognini and Lucas Pouille among others. We have predictions for all the matches in Monte Carlo.
John Millman vs Ugo Humbert
Millman defeated Humbert at least year’s Australian Open and now Humbert will have a chance to get him back much closer to home on clay. Millman has struggled to start the season (2-8), while Humbert is 6-7 with mixed results this year, his best results have come in France with semis in Marseille and a quarterfinal in Montpellier. Given the surface and the venue, Humbert should extend Millman’s poor record for the season. The Australian did win last week but that’s not enough to make him the favorite here. Humbert in 2
Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez
It’s the lucky loser Martinez (2-5 on the year) vs the American Paul (5-8) as both players look for a bit of form here. Paul is not a pushover on clay (former French Open Junior champion) but he hasn’t played as much of his pro career on the surface. Martinez has a small track record on the season but clay is a good surface for him and this match feels like a slight upset. Martinez in 3
Fabio Fognini vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Both players sport identical 7-8 records on the season though Fognini’s overall ATP resume is far longer. Kecmanovic was a semifinalist in Buenos Aires while Fognini has his career best winning % on clay (58%), a prediction isn’t easy here, but Fognini’s poor showing in Marbella, losing in straight sets and winning just three games in his opening round match doesn’t bode well. Advantage to Kecmanovic. Kecmanovic in 2
Guido Pella vs Lucas Pouille
Both players have been limited this season, with Pella struggling at 1-4 and Pouille taking it slow as he recovers from elbow surgery. The French wild card has stayed in Europe playing a mix of ATP and challenger tour matches and compiling a 3-7 record. Pouille is hard to read right now but Pella’s poor form means the Frenchman is well positioned to get a win. Pouille in 2
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