ATP Marseille Open: First Round 3/8/2021 Tennis Prediction

Sports Chat Place previews the First Round of the 2021 Marseille Open ATP event held in Marseille, France. The matches are scheduled to begin on Monday March 8th, 2021 at a time yet to be determined.

Egor Gerasimov vs Yannick Hanfmann – This match is an interesting one between two very similar players. They both are very powerful, aggressive baseline players who enjoy this faster hardcourt surface. While Hanfmann has played some good tennis lately I don’t think that he has what it takes to defeat Gerasimov who is also in good form. The Belarusian has much more experience at this level and I expect him to win in two tight sets. 

Pick – Egor Gerasimov to win

Jannik Sinner vs Gregoire Barrere – Fifth seeded Jannik Sinner faces unseeded Gregoire Barrere in the First Round here in Marseille. Already ranked in the top 35 as a teenager, Sinner is a future top 10 player who has a huge game. He will be highly motivated to do well here after losing in the First Round at the Open Sud de France and I expect him to advance here without much trouble as he quite simply is a much better player than his opponent.

Pick – Jannik Sinner to win in straight sets

Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina vs Petros Tsitsipas – Seventh seeded Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina faces Petros Tsitsipas in the First Round here in Marseille. Davidovich-Fokina is ranked #56 in the world and Petros Tsitsipas’ main claim to fame is being the younger brother of top 5 player Stefanos. He has shown flashes of quality at the lower level but he is way out of his depth here. Expect the Spaniard to cruise in straight sets and advance to the Round of 16.

Pick – Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina to win in straight sets

Emil Ruusuvouri vs Yoshihito Nishioka – Perhaps the closest match of the Opening Round, Finnish Emil Ruusuvouri faces eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in what is sure to be an entertaining match. Nishioka is higher ranked at #54 but Ruusuvouri has been steadily climbing up the rankings and is a top young prospect on the ATP Tour. His game is perfectly suited for this faster infoor surface and I expect him to be too powerful for the steady Japanese player to handle. Emil Ruusuvouri to win a close match. 

Pick – Emil Ruusuvouri to win