TennisSection previews the 2021 Marseille Open as Stefanos Tsitsipas (2) meets Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the Quarter-Finals on Friday March 12th, 2021.
Can the unseeded Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert cause the stunning upset and advance to the Semi-Finals here at the 2021 Marseille Open? Or will the Greek superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas continue his amazing form by cruising to victory? Tsitsipas is perhaps in the form of his life and definitely seems to be on the cusp of a true breakout season in 2021. Can he advance to the Semi-Finals in his quest for a first title of the year? Herbert has finally hit some form after a long dry spell, will be spoil the party and advance to his first ATP Semi-Final in almost two years?
Stefanos Tsitsipas has been having a breakout season in 2021, and the only thing that is missing is a title. After a very strong start to the year at the ATP Cup, he shocked the tennis world by upsetting Rafael Nadal in the Quarter-Finals of the Australian Open. That was a statement victory, as he showed the world that he is finally ready to live up to his immense promise and compete with the top players at the big tournaments. He reached the Semi-Finals in Rotterdam and has been outstanding here thus far. He defeated Lucas Pouille in the First Round without breaking a sweat and is playing with confidence that we haven’t seen from him before. It seems that a switch has gone off in his head and he now believes that he is one of the best players in the world. He always had the big game needed to compete at Grand Slams and big events, and now he has the confidence to do so. Tsitsipas enters this match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert as the favorite and will be expected to advance here at the 2021 Marseille Open.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert is ranked #93 and is a far cry from his career high of #36. An outstanding doubles player who has won the career Grand Slam, he started focusing on singles a few years ago and had some success, reaching three ATP Finals. The Frenchman has struggled with loss of form over the past few years and has started the 2021 season poorly, winning only one main draw match on the ATP Tour. He is very comfortable in transition and at the net due to his doubles prowess and will likely approach the net often in this match. While Herbert is playing the best tennis that he has in a while, facing Stefanos Tsitsipas is a whole other ball game. He enters this match as the huge underdog at the 2021 Marseille Open and will have to play perhaps the match of his life to have any chance here.
This will be the second career meeting between the two players, with the Frenchman shockingly leading the head to head series 1-0. They played in 2018 in Shenzen, with Pierre-Hugues Herbert getting the win there in straight sets. Much has changed since then however, with Stefanos Tristipas going on to establish himself as a global superstar, and Herbert going on a slow decline. While Herbert has played extremely well here at the 2021 Marseille Open, especially in his win over Kei Nishikori, his run will end here. Stefanos Tsitsipas has been a man on a mission this year and he is our pick to win this match. His huge game is particularly effective on surfaces like these and he should have no problems advancing to the Semi-Finals. Expect the Frenchman to put up a challenge, but even his best tennis is no match for the form that the Greek star is in. Stefanos Tsitsipas to win here in straight sets.
Free Tennis Preview and Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.
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