The last two first-round matches will be completed on Wednesday at the ATP Open 13 Provence in Marseilles, along with three clashes from the next stage of the event. Hugo Gaston broke a 7-match tour-level losing streak against fellow left-handers to defeat Denis Shapovalov. Now he faces another southpaw in Ugo Humbert. Who do you think will come out on top?
ATP Marseille Day 3 Predictions
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Luca Van Assche
Head-to-head: First meeting
Luca Van Assche is defending some huge Challenger points soon, so he’s actually not as secure in the top 100 as he might seem. But the 19-year-old did well to battle through two rounds at the Australian Open, which will help him stick around. On the main tour he’s still quite up and down, mostly unable to gather wins consistently. This is a solid opportunity for him, but on an indoor court this match remains on Emil Ruusuvuori’s racket and his weaponry should prevail if he finds a good level on the day.
Predictions: Ruusuvuori in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Quentin Halys
Head-to-head: First meeting
Felix Auger-Aliassime made the final the last two times he played this event and after reaching the final four in Montpellier last week, he should be perceived as a threat here again. After all, he’s definitely at his most dangerous indoors. Quentin Halys is just barely outside the top 100 now and has to start finding some big wins soon. The Frenchman has a lot of upset potential and can always keep a match close just with his serve alone, but he’ll need to be playing much cleaner than of late to win here.
Predictions: Auger-Aliassime in 3
Tomas Machac vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tomas Machac has some great opportunities coming up for him in the first half of the season. Especially the indoor swing could be excellent for the Czech as he’s defending next to nothing and gets the first proper chance to stabilize on the main tour. He’s already done well at the Australian Open and only lost in the third round to Karen Khachanov due to horrific break point conversion (2/19). Lorenzo Musetti has a decent hard-court performance every once in a while, but he’s the underdog here by quite a lot.
Predictions: Machac in 2
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: Bautista Agut 6-3
Roberto Bautista Agut has been fairly dominant in this matchup over the years, including a 3-0 record against Karen Khachanov on hard courts. The Spaniard is starting to experience some physical decline though and his game definitely isn’t as good as it once was. The Russian loves intense rallies off the ground and is a rival who will have the tools to expose that. Bautista Agut’s last few performances don’t suggest he still has what it takes to outgrind Khachanov.
Predictions: Khachanov in 2
Ugo Humbert vs Hugo Gaston
Head-to-head: First meeting
Hugo Gaston managed to avenge his brutal defeat to Denis Shapovalov at Montpellier and beat the Canadian in another opening round the week after. Now he’s in for an interesting matchup with a countryman he’s never played against before. Ugo Humbert is playing at an extremely high standard right now though and is basically situated right outside the top 20. Gaston has the tools to throw people off, but Humbert’s power and clean technique should help him find the response.
Predictions: Humbert in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
