Day 4 at the ATP event in Montpellier will feature the conclusion of the Round of 16, with some very tight and exciting matches in prospect. As always, despite not having the very best players in the world in the draw, this tournament features a lot of French players, along with several Top 30 players.
ATP Montpellier Day 4 Predictions
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Gregoire Barrere
Head-to-head: Barrere 1-1 Basilashvili
One of their previous meetings was at this very venue in 2o21, with Barrere prevailing in straight sets. Considering Basilashvili’s performances after his unexpected run to the Indian Wells finals in 2020, a similar outcome is to be expected here, especially as Barrere has been on an absolute tear on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning three of his last five indoor events.
Head-to-head: Barrere in 2
Maxime Cressy vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-head: Ruusuvuori 3-0 Cressy
This head-to-head might seem surprising, but the truth is that aside from serve Ruusuvuori does everything better than the American. Unless Cressy has an absolutely massive serving performance, he is unlikely to reverse this trend. In past matchups, Ruusuvuori showed a good ability to read Cressy’s serve and dominated the rallies with relative ease. On a quick indoor court, Cressy surely has a chance but the Finn comes in as a favourite.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 3
Borna Coric vs Arthur Rinderknech
Head-to-head: Coric 1-0 Rinderknech
Their one previous meeting was at the United Cup earlier this year and Coric won a tight two set match. After his sensational title victory in Cincinnati last year, the Croat hasn’t really been capable of replicating anything close to that sort of level. 2023 is a key season for him and his Australian Open performance was extremely disappointing, he needs to get going as soon as possible and this week is a great opportunity to gain some momentum. Rinderknech is a tricky opponent, but generally not a threat to Top 20 level players.
Prediction: Coric in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
