TennisSection previews the 2021 Marseille Open as Ugo Humbert (4) meets Arthur Rinderknech in the Quarter-Finals on Friday March 12th, 2021.
This is a very interesting “All-French” Quarter-Final that is sure to feature some exciting tennis. Can the unseeded Qualifier Arthur Rinderknech cause yet another stunning upset here at the 2021 Marseille Open? Or will the young French star Ugo Humbert advance to his first ATP Semi-Final of the season? French fans are in for a treat as two of their local heroes face off for a spot in the Semi-Finals. Who will advance?
Ugo Humbert is currently ranked #31 and is considered one of the most promising young talents on the ATP Tour. After a slow start to the 2021 season, he has looked good here at the Marseille Open this week. He dispatched former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets in the Round of 16, and will be delighted to be playing the Qualifier Arthur Rinderknech in the Quarter-Finals. A very solid lefty with every shot in the book, he served extremely well in the win over Tsonga, not facing a single break point in the 6-3, 6-4 win. The only thing stopping him from breaking into the top 20 is himself, often losing focus and matches that he shouldn’t. If he can get it all put together and limit the unforced errors he will assuredly be a forced to be reckoned with on the ATP years for the foreseeable future.
Arthur Rinderknech has been a huge surprise package here at the 2021 Marseille Open. After coming through the Qualifying Rounds relatively easily, he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in the First Round, before stunning seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina in the Round of 16. His 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 was one of the biggest upsets of the year and one that no-one could have predicted. Currently ranked #138, he has been having a good year on the Challenger Circuit, and will be hoping that this week is the turning point in his career. He served extremely well, winning 87% of first serve and serving 13 aces. He will have to serve at least equally well against Ugo Humbert if he is to even make this a close match and enters as a massive underdog. He is playing inspired tennis however, and cannot be taken lightly.
This will be the first meeting between the two players, and while it seems like a mismatch on paper, it is shaping up to be an exciting match. While Humbert is ranked over 100 spots over Arthur Rinderknech, it is sometimes difficult to face players that you don’t have much information on. The qualifier has nothing to lose here and is playing freely. All the pressure is on Ugo Humbert who knows that he is expected to win here and it will be interesting to see how he responds to that. He knows that he has a unique opportunity here, having to face a Qualifier instead of Davidovich-Fokina, and he will have to mentally adjust to this new situation. Both players have big serves and are aggressive from the baseline, so a match filled with short points and brilliant shot-making is to be expected. If Humbert can keep his focus and not be over-confident, he will get the win here and advance to his first Semi-Final of the year. Ugo Humbert is my pick to win here.
Free Tennis Preview and Prediction: Ugo Humbert to win.
Want more Free Tennis Picks from our Experts? Check out our latest Tennis Predictions now!
