TennisSection previews the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters as Hubert Hurkacz (13) meets Thomas Fabbiano in the First Round on Monday April 12th, 2021.
Can newly crowned Miami Open Champion Hubert Hurkacz continue his amazing form here at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters? Or can the unseeded Italian Thomas Fabbiano cause the stunning upset? This match seems very one sided on paper but it remains to be seen how the Polish star can transition to the slower clay surface. Can Fabbiano take advantage of that plus his opponent’s possible fatigue? Or will Hurkacz advance as expected here in Monaco?
Hubert Hurkacz is the number thirteen seed here at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Open and is ranked a career-high #16 in the ATP world rankings. His confidence will be at an all-time high and he has built some serious momentum heading into this event. The Polish star was superb last week in claiming his first Masters-1000 title, but it may be difficult for him to replicate that success on clay, a surface that he has not had much success on. Despite that, he will enter this match as the heavy favorite against a much lower-ranked opponent in Thomas Fabbiano, a qualifier that also has not had much success throughout his career on the surface.
Thomas Fabbiano is currently ranked #172 in the ATP world rankings, but has been as high as #70. He has seen his career take a sharp decline in recent years and will be hoping to turn his fortunes around. Unfortunately, the qualifier has received an extremely tough draw here at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters and is the huge underdog againt Hubert Hurkacz. One thing that is going in his favor is that he has played quite a few clay court matches this season, while this will be his opponents first. The Italian is capable of some very explosive tennis but has been unable to do it consistently, so it is unlikely that he will be able to trouble a player of Hurkaczs’ stature in a big event like this one. He will have to play his best match of the past few years to make this competitive.
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, and their head to head record stands at 0-0. Hubert Hurkacz is the overwhelming favorite and really should win this match comfortably. However, he has not played a single clay court match for the season so a slow start is a definitely possibility. Despite this, I expect the Pole to overcome the challenge of Thomas Fabbiano and get the win here. It certainly won’t be straightforward but he has too much quality to lose here, especially since his opponent isn’t very comfortable on the surface either. Hubert Hurkacz will win and advance here at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Hubert Hurkacz to win.
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