Mallorca Championships 2021: Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Date: 22 June 2021
Tournament: Mallorca Championships 2021
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Mallorca, Spain
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Grass
Prize money: €720,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview
Newly crowned Halle champion Ugo Humbert will lock horns with talented Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Mallorca Championships on Tuesday.
Humbert's power-packed game was on full display in Halle last week as he took down the likes of Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev en route to his first ATP 500 title. Needless to say, he will enter Mallorca full of confidence.
His first-round opponent, Kecmanovic, is a former junior World No. 1, who has already made a name for himself on the senior tour. The Serb has made it to the finals of two ATP Tour events and won his maiden title in Kitzbuhel last year.
Kecmanovic's first ATP final came in Antalya on grass, proving he has the game to play in faster conditions. The 21-year-old hasn't had the best of seasons thus far and will be keen to turn his fortunes around during the grasscourt swing.
Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic head-to-head
Miomir Kecmanovic leads Ugo Humbert 3-1 in their current head-to-head. But the Frenchman won their most recent meeting, at the 2020 Delray Beach Open.
Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic prediction
Ugo Humbert and Miomir Kecmanovic have faced off quite a few times in recent years and will be familiar with each other's games.
Humbert looked extremely comfortable on grass during his run in Halle and the time spent on court should give him a slight edge over his opponent, who is yet to play a match on the surface this year.
Humbert's big serve and nifty front-court skills have worked well for him in recent matches. That said, the Frenchman has struggled to find answers to Kecmanovic's game, which is built around solid groundstrokes and quick movement.
But Kecmanovic will likely be rusty considering this is his first grasscourt match in nearly two years. If Humbert can protect his serve, he should be able to eke out the win over the talented Serb
Prediction: Ugo Humbert to win in three sets