Play continues at ATP Doha on Day 3 with all eight Round of 16 matches on the slate. The top four seeds will get their tournament going, including No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev taking on former world No. 7 Richard Gasquet. As always, we at LWOT have the preview and prediction for all matches in Doha. But who will advance to the quarterfinals?
ATP Doha Day 3 Predictions
Alexander Bublik vs Marton Fucsovics
Head-to-Head: Bublik 4-1 Fucsovics
No. 4 seed Alexander Bublik begins his ATP Doha campaign against veteran Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. Fucsovics is coming off a 6-3 6-1 beatdown of Roberto Bautista Agut and is 3-1 since the start of February. That said, Bublik has dominated this head-to-head and currently holds terrific form. He won the title in Montpellier earlier this month and holds a career-high ranking of No. 21. This matchup should produce fireworks from two powerful hitters. Bublik, however, is 6-1 in three-set matches this year and should be able to find the finish line against Fucsovics.
Prediction: Bublik in 3
Ugo Humbert vs Pavel Kotov
Head-to-Head: Humbert 1-0 Kotov
Ugo Humbert holds a career-high ranking of No. 18 and is currently the top-ranked French player in the world. The 25-year-old won the title in Marseille earlier this month and holds a 12-3 record in his last 15 matches dating back to November. Pavel Kotov looked terrific in his first-round victory over Lorenzo Sonego and has played some of the best tennis of his career over the past four months. Kotov is 0-4 in his career against top 20 players, and while I think he can hold his own in parts of this match, Humbert’s variety gives him a plethora of ways to endpoints.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Hugo Grenier
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Alexei Popyrin and Hugo Grenier are coming off hard-fought wins that secured their spot in the second round of ATP Doha. Grenier, who advanced through qualifying, has spent nearly four hours on-court this week thus far. The Frenchman is looking for back-to-back ATP main draw wins for the first time since April 2023, and it is also the last time he beat a player ranked inside the top 50. Popyrin has had a tough start to the 2024 season but has the weapons to pierce Grenier from the baseline. Serve and first-strike tennis will lead the Aussie to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Popyrin in 2
Andrey Rublev vs Richard Gasquet
Head-to-Head: Rublev 1-0 Gasquet
No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev is 10-2 to start his 2024 season, with those two losses coming to arguably the most in-form players on tour (Sinner and De Minaur). He is incredibly consistent at 250s and 500s and consistently finds himself playing on championship Sunday. Rublev draws wildcard Richard Gasquet in the second round of ATP Doha. Gasquet turned back to the clock to pull off a 6-4 6-4 win over Alexander Shevchenko in Round 1. It was Gasquet’s first ATP main draw win since August. The veteran Frenchman will produce some moments of magic in this match, but Rublev should find his way in two sets.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
