TennisSection previews the 2021 Rotterdam Open as Tommy Paul meets Marton Fucsovics in the quarter-finals on Friday, March 5th 2021.
Will Tommy Paul continue to impress in these smaller ATP 250 and 500 tournaments, now having made his 6th quarter-final over the last year and a half? Will Marton Fucsovics come out here and be able to ruffle the feathers of the experiences American Tommy Paul? This is going to be a very tight match in the top half of the draw, and I am sure both players are going to give it their all to book a spot in the semi-finals as this side of the draw is anyone’s to win since Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev were eliminated in the first round.
Tommy Paul pulled off a great comeback victory on Thursday, beating the favourite, Alexander Bublik, in 3 sets, 6-7(5)/6-3/6-1. Paul has a great mentality and has often said that he is not afraid of going the distance in matches as he backs himself in the long run. If this was a few years ago, Tommy Paul wouldn’t have been anyone’s choice to beat the likes of Alexander Bublik in tournaments, however in 2020 and in 2021, he has established himself as a main player in these ATP 250 and 500 tournaments. With this side of the draw being less competitive than the bottom half of the draw, due to both Daniil Medvedev (1) and Alexander Zverev (3) having been knocked out of the tournament in their first match, players like Tommy Paul have been handed an opportunity to make their way to the semi-finals and perhaps even the Final here. Will Tommy Paul take advantage of this opportunity, or will the quarter-finals be as far as he goes here?
Marton Fucsovics has performed extremely well here at the Rotterdam Open, winning both of his matches as the underdog. Having beaten Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round 6-3/6-2, Fucsovics has showed us levels which we have seen from him in a while. Marton just does not seem to get tired on court, and he always gives it his all. He showed us this especially at the Australian Open this year where he beat Stan Wawrinka in a 5-set thriller. Fucsovics has a great chance to make the semi-finals here, and even perhaps the Final as the top half of the draw he is competing in is lacklustre in competition. Can Fucsovics get the job done here, or will he be onto the next tournament?
Tommy Paul and Marton Fuscovics have never twice before, with both players winning a match, and we are definitely in for a very tight match here in this quarter-final. Both players have great indoor hard-court games and they will be giving it their all to book their spot in the semi-finals on Saturday. Both players can win this match, especially in this tournament, where nothing has been easily predictable, with 6 of the 8 top seeds being knocked out in the first two rounds. Marton Fucsovics has a great game, and is coming off two great wins in a row, having beaten Reilly Opelka and Alejandro Davidovich. Tommy Paul is also coming off some great wins here, but at the end of the day, Fucsovics has been playing better, has met the tougher opponents, and has more momentum behind him. It might be a 3-set encounter, but it will be one won by Marton Fucsovics to book his spot in the semi-finals of the 2021 Rotterdam Open on Saturday, March 6th 2021.
Free Tennis Preview and Prediction: Marton Fucsovics to win.
