Day 3 at the first clay ATP Masters 1000 of the season, in Monte Carlo, will feature a lot of exciting action, including the tournament debut of the two time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and last year’s finalist Alejandro Dadidovich Fokina.
ATP Monte Carlo Day 3 Predictions
Jiri Lehecka vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-head: Ruusuvuori 2-1 Lehecka
Ruusuvuori leads the head-to-head, but it was Lehecka who got his first win in this matchup earlier this year in Doha. Both players are having solid seasons but both are far more comfortable on hard courts than on the slow clay courts of Monte Carlo. In general, however, Lehecka seems to be the player with more tools and upside in general, so it’s fair to consider him a slight favorite here.
Prediction: Lehecka in 3
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: Musetti 1-0 Kecmanovic
Musetti has been having a terrible season so far, while Kecmanovic is fresh off a final in Estoril; based on those facts, you’d expect Kecmanovic to be favored here, but Musetti is a young and highly skilled player on this surface and he’s bound to start getting some good results at some point. The slow clay courts of Monte Carlo should really suit his game.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: Dadidovich Fokina 2-0 Khachanov
This is a very important match for the Spaniard, who reached the final at this tournament last year, beating Novak Djokovic on the way and only losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. An early loss here would see him have quite the fall down the rankings and this first round draw is far from ideal. That said, Davidovich Fokina did beat Khachanov on both occasions they faced each other, including earlier this year in Indian Wells, and the conditions here should favor him in this matchup.
Prediction: Dadidovich Fokina in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Benjamin Bonzi
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 2-0 Bonzi
It’s safe to say Monte Carlo is Tsitsipas’s favorite tournament on tour: he won the last two editions of the event dropping only one set overall. He seemed to be struggling with injury after the Australian Open but if he’s fully recovered this match shouldn’t pose any problems to him as he aims for a third consecutive title in Monaco.
Predictions: Tsitsipas in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
