It was an exciting start to the tournament in Montpellier on day one in the south of France, with the action set to continue on day two. A number of fascinating matches are on the slate, but who will rise to the occasion at the Open Sud de France and who will fall short?<\/p>\n
Head-to-head:<\/strong> first meeting<\/p>\n Emil Ruusuvuori qualified for the\u00a0Open Sud de France, beating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in a third-set tiebreak to make the main draw. Dennis Novak, meanwhile, is playing his first match in Montpellier since the Australian Open, where he qualified into the main draw, but lost in five sets to Hubert Hurkacz in the first round. He also enjoyed a fine campaign at the ATP Cup<\/a>, despite Austria\u2019s group stage exit, and recently broke into the top 100 for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n However the Finn Ruusuvuori will have the advantage of greater familiarity with the conditions in Montpellier. Typically aggressive, expect the young gun to step up the court and look to dominate with his serve and groundstrokes. Novak, in contrast, is more comfortable counter-punching and will surely look to his defence to grind down the Finn. But the indoor conditions should favour the more aggressive player, although Novak has the quality to keep it close.<\/p>\n Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 3
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