TennisSection previews the 2021 Mallorca Open as Dominic Thiem (2) meets Adrian Mannarino in the Round of 16 on Tuesday June 22nd, 2021.
World number five Dominic Thiem returns to the ATP Tour here at the 2021 Mallorca Open, and will face Adriano Mannarino for a spot in the Quarter-Finals. The Austrian has been having a terrible run lately and will be desperate to get back into the groove of things ahead of Wimbledon. Can the Frenchman Mannarino take advantage of his opponent’s recent woes and cause the stunning upset here in Mallorca?
Dominic Thiem is the second seed here at the 2021 Mallorca Open and is ranked #5 on the ATP Tour. The Austrian star enjoyed a breakout year in 2020 where he claimed his first Grand Slam title, and many expected him to take another leap forward this season. That was not to be the case however, and he has had a disastrous start to the season, even having to take a break earlier in the year to refocus. He returned for Roland Garros where he was one of the favorites for the title, yet was bounced out in the First Round. After announcing his decision to skip the Olympics, he will be eager to give a good account of himself on the grass, his least favorite surface. Despite his struggles, he must still be considered a favorite here against Adrian Mannarino, and is expected to win.
Adrian Mannarino is ranked #42 on the ATP Tour, and is unseeded here at the 2021 Mallorca Open. The Frenchman has been having an inconsistent season, but is a very solid player and a dangerous opponent on all surfaces. He has been in decent form on the grass so far, reaching the Round of 16 at Queen’s, and defeating the in-form Jan-Lennard Struff in the First Round here in Mallorca. While he does not have the firepower to bother his opponent Dominic Thiem much, the Austrian has been in terrible form here and could find Mannarino’s solid and flat groundstrokes a handful on the grass. Despite entering this match as the underdog, this is as good a chance as any for the Frenchman to upset Thiem, and he will certainly be backing himself here.
This will be the ninth meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with the Austrian star winning on each occasion. He has completely dominated this head to head matchup, only losing two sets over the eight matches. They have never played on grass, however Thiem has the greater pedigree on the surface, winning a title on it in 2016. Given all the facts available, this would usually be an easy win for Dominic Thiem, especially considering his dominance in the H2H, but this is a drastically different Thiem than we are accustomed to. Despite his struggles however, I am going to go with the Austrian to get the win here. It is hard to back him at the moment, but his mental strength is among the best on tour and it only is a matter of time before he gets his game back up to par again. It won’t be pretty, and Adrian Mannarino is a solid opponent, but expect Dominic Thiem to get the tough win here at the 2021 Mallorca Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Dominic Thiem to win
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