Mallorca Championships 2021: Men's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction
Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, both of whom took last-minute wildcards, lead a packed field at the inaugural edition of the Mallorca Championships, an ATP 250 event set to be played from 20-26 June.
Also in the mix are in-form names like Casper Ruud and Ugo Humbert, as well as home-favorites Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta. With main draw action set to begin on Sunday, here is a look at the prospects of the top players in the fray.
Top half: Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Pablo Carreno Busta fight for supremacy
Top-seeded players: [1] Daniil Medvedev, [4] Pablo Carreno Busta, [5] Casper Ruud and [8] Dusan Lajovic
Expected semifinal: Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Dark horse: Corentin Moutet
Analysis: Top seed Daniil Medvedev will be keen to put his disappointing first-round exit at Halle behind him. The Russian, however, has landed in the most competitive section of the draw.
Medvedev opens his campaign against the winner of an exciting first-round match between Lloyd Harris and Corentin Moutet. The South African has a game well-suited for grass and could pose a few problems for both Moutet and Medvedev.
Daniil Medvedev's potential quarterfinal opponent Casper Ruud is coming off a successful claycourt season and will be hoping to make a smooth transition to grass. The Norwegian faces veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon in his opener.
Fourth seed Pablo Carreno Busta has a relatively easy path to the last eight, where he could face Dusan Lajovic. The Spaniard enjoys playing in faster conditions and should be able to come through that contest.
Prediction: Daniil Medevedev def. Pablo Carreno Busta
Bottom half: Ugo Humbert, Karen Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut look to topple Dominic Thiem
Top-seeded players: [2] Dominic Thiem, [3] Roberto Bautista Agut, [6] Karen Khachanov and [7] Ugo Humbert
Expected semifinal: Dominic Thiem vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Dark horse: Karen Khachanov
Analysis: In his first grasscourt tournament in nearly two years, Dominic Thiem is likely to open against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Mannarino will certainly pose a test on grass, but if Thiem comes through, he could face either Karen Khachanov or Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals.
Ugo Humbert, who is still going strong in Halle, will look to carry his solid run of form into the Spanish city. The Frenchman begins his campaign against another talented youngster in Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic.
Humbert could well set up a blockbuster match against the big-serving Sam Querrey in the second round, provided the American wins his first match against a qualifier.
The winner of that section will, in all likelihood, face third seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a spot in the semifinals.
Prediction: Ugo Humbert def. Karen Khachanov
Prediction for the final
Ugo Humbert def. Daniil Medvedev
Notable first-round matches
Lloyd Harris vs Courentin Moutet
Giles Simon vs Casper Ruud
Ugo Humbert vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Adrian Mannarino