We’re undoubtedly in for a thrilling day of tennis on Day 4 of the ATP Open 13 Provence in Marseille. The top seeds, including Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner, will begin their campaigns for the week. As throughout the event, we will be offering up our predictions on the day’s play. So, who will march on into the next round?
ATP Marseille Day 4 Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Gijs Brouwer
Head-to-head: First meeting
It was another positive outing in Rotterdam last week for Grigor Dimitrov, who picked up some great wins and played a lot of stunning tennis along the way. Sadly, his annihilation by Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals showed just how far he is from the world’s best these days. That said, his best tennis should definitely see him make the semis here–if he’s playing well, only those ranked higher than him should be beating him. But, we know that Dimitrov can so often beat himself.
Gijs Brouwer is enjoying a wonderful run of form. He reached the quarterfinals in Rotterdam last week (beating Holger Rune along the way), playing some fantastic tennis along the way. He’s having another great week here, dropping no sets in qualifying before taking down Elias Ymer in the first round. Will he have much left in the tank? It’s been a lot of consecutive matches on the main tour for him, and I wonder if this may catch up with him. He’s a powerful player and he can take the game to Dimitrov, but I’ll back experience in this encounter.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Hubert Hurkacz vs Leandro Riedi
Head-to-head: First meeting
Hubert Hurkacz is the top seed this week, and will be looking to utilize his big serve to its full capacity in these conditions. It’s never easy to predict how Hurkacz will go at a tournament as he can be so good one day and just come out flat the next–but that serve will remain rock solid almost always. Hurkacz very much fits the mould of the “big serving counter-puncher” type of player we see a lot of in the men’s game, but his forehand undoubtedly needs work if he’s going to win tournaments from now on.
Leandro Riedi hasn’t played since the Australian Open, but picked up a good straight sets win over Arthur Rinderknech (who is great on indoor hard courts) in the first round. I’m expecting him to struggle against the immense serve of Hurkacz though, especially in these conditions. Hurkacz may sometimes lack power and conviction in his groundstrokes against the best in the world, but these matches are routine for him and there shouldn’t be any issues.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Alex de Minaur vs Alexander Ritschard
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been a pretty good start to the year for de Minaur. Last week I was so impressed with his dismantling of Andrey Rublev, and it took an out-of-this-world match point from Grigor Dimitrov to get past him. The Aussie is still the quickest tennis player in the world, and he can utilize it so well against a lot of opponents. He’s more powerful now and his significant serve improvements give him a great deal of cheap points, which are vital now in the men’s game.
It was a woeful start to the year for Ritschard, but he’s finally picked things up this week. He came through qualifying, and was somewhat fortunate to draw Pablo Andujar in the first round (who is significantly better on clay courts). Given his level of competition hasn’t been great and his form is still sketchy, I’m not sure he stands a chance here. De Minaur is lightning quick, loves these conditions and will happily punish any short balls he’s offered up. An easy win for the Aussie.
Prediction: De Minaur in 2
David Goffin vs Mikael Ymer
Head-to-head: First meeting
David Goffin remains a puzzling player these days. Once upon a time he was so consistent, reliable and tough to beat. Now, as a result of injuries and age taking its toll, he can either still play great or he puts in a shocking performance, like last week against Gregoire Barrere. When Goffin puts it all together, he’s brilliant. He’s a great spot server, wonderful ball-striker, excellent mover and he can be so tough to hit past. Will he bring this in Marseille? We’ll have to wait and see.
Mikael Ymer boasts a great deal of talent, which has been on display for years. Sadly, this hasn’t yet materialized in the way many were expecting. He’s got great power, he’s incredibly fast and when he’s on, he looks immense. We just don’t see enough of his top level for me to pick him to play well each week. I can see this one being a very topsy-turvy affair, with both players dipping in-and-out of great moments. For me, Goffin is the more reliable pick as he’ll make less errors and won’t get tight.
Prediction: Goffin in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Arthur Fils
Head-to-head: Sinner 1-0
Jannik Sinner has started the year so impressively. After a strong outing in Melbourne, he won the title in Montpellier and reached the final in Rotterdam where he lost a great final to a rejuvenated Daniil Medvedev. The young Italian is playing such wonderful tennis, and the gradual improvements he continues to make in every aspect of his game are paying dividends. This should be a fun match–they met just a couple of weeks ago in Montpellier, and Fils was impressive.
It’s been fun watching Fils playing his first events on the ATP tour. The 18-year-old plays an explosive game and loves to be aggressive – which was on displayed in spades in Montpellier. There’s no doubt a very bright trajectory for the young Frenchman if he continues on this trajectory. Given how Sinner is playing at the minute, and that he’s had half a week off to recover, I expect a similar to result to the one we recently saw between them. Fils will come out swinging and push Sinner for a bit, but the Italian will have all the answers in the end.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
