Gijon Open 2022: Andy Murray vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (WC) Andy Murray vs (6) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Date: October 10, 2022.
Tournament: Gijon Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Gijon, Spain.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $612,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andy Murray vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview
Andy Murray will face sixth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round of the Gijon Open on Monday.
Murray has produced some promising performances so far this season, which saw him return to the top 50 of the ATP rankings. He reached two finals at the Sydney International and the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, losing to Aslan Karatsev and Matteo Berrettini, respectively.
Murray reached the third round of the US Open after beating 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo and Emilio Nava. However, he lost to eventual quarterfinalist Berrettini in four sets. The former World No. 1 then represented Team Europe at the Laver Cup and lost his only singles match of the tournament against Alex de Minaur.
Davidovich Fokina's most impressive feat this season was reaching the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, beating the likes of Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz en route.
The Spaniard did well at the US Open, beating Yoshihito Nishioka, Marton Fucsovics and Daniel Galan to reach the Round of 16. This was the first time he reached the fourth round of a hard-court Major. He eventually lost to Berrettini.
Davidovich Fokina then competed at the Astana Open and suffered an opening-round defeat at the hands of Pavel Kotov.
Andy Murray vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head
The duo have never met before, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Andy Murray vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andy Murray vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction
With both players producing some promising performances this season, we might just have a thrilling encounter on our hands.
Murray is solid in defense but can switch to attack relatively quickly. The 35-year-old has lost a bit of pace of late and now centers his game on making as few errors as possible. His serve is still good enough to fetch him a few free points.
Davidovich Fokina, on the other hand, loves to play with aggression and a sense of adventure. The young Spaniard will look to move Murray around the court with his powerful groundstrokes. He can also mix things up with his drop shot, which is among the most efficient on tour.
It's hard to say who will come out on top in this match of contrasting styles. Murray's experience, however, might just see him over the line.
Pick: Murray to win in three sets.