Fifth seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov faces Adrian Mannarino of France in the First Round of the 2021 Acapulco Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday March 17th, 2021 at 12:00am EST.
This is sure to be a very entertaining match between two top 50 players. They both play a similar aggressive baseline style, and we are sure to see lots of flashy shot making. Who will come out on top and advance to the Round of 16 here in Mexico?
Grigor Dimitrov is currently ranked #17 in the world and is a former top five player. After a disappointing past few years due to lack of form and fitness he is seemingly back to his best. He was outstanding at the Australian Open, unfortunately getting injured in the Quarter-Finals after being a set up over Aslan Karatsev. Dimitrov is a very aggressive baseline player and is completely at home on the hard courts. He has had some success here in Acapulco before, winning the title in 2014. He enters this match as the overwhelming favorite, but questions may remain about his match readiness as he hasn’t played since Melbourne.
Adrian Mannarino is unseeded here at the 2021 Acapulco Open, and has had a very poor start to his 2021 season. Currently ranked #36 in the world rankings, he will be keen to get his season back on track. Mannarino has won one ATP title and has built a reputation as a very solid baseliner. He is yet to reach a Quarter-Final so far in 2021 which is unusual for him, so he will be very eager to get his season back on track and correct the recent slide. If Dimitrov is not at his best, the Frenchman is more than capable of causing the upset, so we ae certain to see a very close encounter. While he enters this match as the underdog, he will be very confident of victory.
The two players have met twice before, with Dimitrov winning on both occasions. Provided that he is fully fit, he should have no problems winning this match against a tough opponent. It is never easy to play Mannarino with his unusual style, but Dimitrov has a wealth of experience and will be able to handle whatever the Frenchman throws at him. Expect a tight match, but Grigor Dimitrov will advance here in Acapulco.