Metz Open: Ugo Humbert vs. Andy Murray 9/21/21 Tennis Prediction

Sixth seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert will face Andy Murray of Great Britain in the First Round of the 2021 Metz Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday September 21st, 2021 at approximately 12:00pm EST.

An interesting First Round match will be on display here at the 2021 Metz Open as Ugo Humbert faces Andy Murray. Humbert is one of the most talented young players on the ATP Tour and will be facing the former world number one Murray who is still attempting to regain his best form after a couple seasons of struggling with injuries. The Frenchman is the obvious favorite here but Murray has showed signs of his former self, and is one of the most experienced players on Tour and should not be discounted. Does he had what it takes to topple the sixth seeded Humbert who is playing on home soil?

Ugo Humbert is currently ranked #26 on the ATP Tour and is the sixth seed here at the 2021 Moselle Open. He has had some very strong performances over the past few seasons and has established himself as one of the best young players in world tennis, although he struggles with consistency at times. He won the Halle title earlier in the year and reached the Quarter-Finals at the Olympics, but has been in poor form since, losing the past three matches that he has played. There is no better place than home soil to get back to winning ways but he has been handed a tough draw here and will face former Grand Slam champion Andy Murray who while not at his best is still a fearsome competitor and will be a difficult First Round opponent.

Andy Murray was once ranked number one in the world but is now ranked outside the top 100 due to numerous injuries over the past few seasons. He really has struggled recently but is showing signs of life, taking world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets at the 2021 US Open, showing that he is still capable of high-quality tennis and can play for long periods. However, he then lost in the Second Round in a Rennes Challenger to Roman Safiullin, a shocking result to a lower ranked opponent and one must wonder if the injury concerns have resurfaced. He is the big underdog here against Ugo Humbert but with his wealth of experience should not be discounted, especially if he is actually at full strength. One thing that will go against him is the surface as it is not his favorite, but he has had some favorable results indoor over his career so that should not necessarily be a bad thing.

This is the second time that the two players will face each other on the ATP Tour, with Andy Murray winning their only match two years ago. Since then, their careers have gone on completely different paths, with Murray struggling and Ugo Humbert coming into his own and establishing himself as a force on the Tour. Despite Murray’s recent struggles, I am encouraged by what I am seeing from him lately, and I think that he is primed and ready to cause the upset here. Humbert is an outstanding player but his confidence is low lately, and I think that the Scotsman is ready to take full advantage. This all depends on Murray’s fitness, but if he suffered no injuries in that loss to Saufilin I am going to back him to use every ounce of his experience to get past the struggling Humbert in three sets, advancing to the Round of 16 here at the 2021 Metz Open.