Marseille 2023 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Richard Gasquet vs Laurent Lokoli, Maxime Cressy vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux | Open 13 Provence
The 2023 Open 13 Provence kicked off on Monday with some thrilling encounters.
Three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka edged out Zizou Bergs in an engaging three-set tussle to win his opener. Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik snapped his 10 match losing streak to defeat Filip Krajinovic in the first round.
Day 2 of the Open 13 Provence has some exciting matches lined up, with players like David Goffin, Maxime Cressy and Richard Gasquet in action.
Here are the predictions for the matches taking place on February 21 at the Open 13 Provence:
#1 Elias Ymer vs (Q) Gijs Brouwer
Gijs Brouwer made it to the quarterfinals of the ABN AMRO Open last week, his first at the ATP level. He'll now be aiming to continue the momentum here. Elias Ymer, on the other hand, is slightly more accomplished than the Dutchman, but hasn't played enough this year.
Ymer has just one win under his belt in 2023, which came at the Davis Cup. In his only appearance in an ATP match, he lost in the first round of the Maharashtra Open.
Consequently, Brouwer is the favorite to come out on top in this Open 13 Provence contest.
Predicted winner: Gijs Brouwer.
#2 (8) Marc-Andrea Huesler vs Gregoire Barrere
Marc-Andrea Huesler's 6-4 record for the year points to a rather average season so far. He slumped to a first-round exit from last week's ABN AMRO Open.
Gregoire Barrere, on the other hand, made it to the second round of the very same tournament. The Frenchman also made it to the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France the week before that, where Huesler lost in the second round.
Barrere seems to be in better form right now and if keeps it up, he should be able to get past the Swiss.
Predicted winner: Gregoire Barrere.
#3 (5) Maxime Cressy vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux
After a slow start to the year, Maxime Cressy raised his level to reach the final of the Open Sud de France, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in two competitive sets. The American made it to the second round of the ABN AMRO Open after that.
Geoffrey Blancaneaux lost his only match played at the ATP level and has managed to register just five wins on the Challenger tour as well. The disparity in their results and form is far too wide heading into this Open 13 Provence match-up.
Cressy's massive serve along should be enough to send the Frenchman packing.
Predicted winner: Maxime Cressy.
#4 (6) David Goffin vs (Q) Lukas Klein
David Goffin started the year with consecutive losses at the United Cup against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov as Belgium were knocked out in the group stage. He bounced back the following week by making the last eight at the ASB Classic.
Goffin was unable to compete at the Australian Open due to an illness. He then won a title on the Challenger circuit, his first since 2014. However, the 32-year-old fell at the opening hurdle at last week's ABN AMRO Open.
Klein has won just two main-draw matches at the ATP level in his career so far. While Goffin may be far from his peak these days, this is an extremely winnable match for him, given his opponent's lack of experience on the main tour.
Predicted winner: David Goffin.
#5 (7) Richard Gasquet vs (Q) Laurent Lokoli
Aside from his title-winning run at the ASB Classic, Richard Gasquet's results have been lackluster. He lost in the first round of three other tournaments, with a second-round showing at the ABN AMRO Open being his other good result.
Laurent Lokoli mainly competes on the Challenger and ITF tours. He's yet to win a match on the ATP tour. Gasquet now has a great opportunity to capitalize on his draw and make a deep run at the Open 13 Provence.
Predicted winner: Richard Gasquet.
#6 Pablo Andujar vs (Q) Alexander Ritschard
Pablo Andujar is yet to win a match on the ATP tour this year, while this will be Alexander Ritschard's first appearance at the ATP level. The latter is winless at the Challenger level as well this season.
The Spaniard plays his best tennis on clay courts, while Ritschard is slightly more comfortable on hardcourts. However, Andujar has clocked way more miles on the tour than the Swiss, which could help him out in this contest.
Given their recent results, the 37-year-old has the upper hand heading into this encounter.
Predicted winner: Pablo Andujar.
#7 Arthur Rinderknech vs Leandro Riedi
This will be Leandro Riedi's third main draw appearance on the ATP tour. As such, he'll start off as the underdog against the experienced Arthur Rinderknech. However, with a 2-4 record for the year, the Frenchman isn't in great form at the moment.
This is a great chance for the young Riedi to make some noise by scoring an upset win. While Rinderknech remains the favorite, it won't be too surprising to see the Swiss make it through to the next round of the Open 13 Provence.
Predicted winner: Leandro Riedi.