It will the No. 1 seed against an unseeded opponent in both Marseille and Santiago on Sunday. Daniil Medvedev is battling Pierre-Hugues Herbert for an indoor hard court title, while Cristian Garin is set for a clay-court encounter with Facundo Bagnis.
Open 13: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert
It seems like Medvedev either loses his opening match (rarely) or goes all the way to the final (often) whenever he plays. The third-ranked Russian is back on the positive side of those extremes and he not only has reached the Marseille final but he is also a heavy favorite to capture the title. Medvedev, who will pass Rafael Nadal for No. 2 in the rankings on Monday, had advanced this week with straight-set wins over Egor Gerasimov, Jannik Sinner, and Matthew Ebden.
Up next for the 25-year-old on Sunday is a fourth career contest against Herbert. They have split their two previous main-draw encounters; Medvedev prevailed 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 at the 2018 Rotterdam event before Herbert won 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 at the 2019 French Open. Interestingly, they also faced each other in qualifying at this same Marseille tournament six years ago–when Herbert got the job done 6-4, 6-3. The world No. 93 is on fire at home in France this week even though he does not have any real home-court advantage without any fans. He has knocked off Kei Nishikori, Cameron Norrie, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Ugo Humbert, dropping just one set to Tsitsipas in the process. This could be a lot closer than many expect given Herbert’s form, but Medvedev should be too tough in two tight sets.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
Chile Dove Men+Care Open: (1) Cristian Garin vs. Facundo Bagnis
Garin and Bagnis will also be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they collide in the Santiago final on Sunday. All three of their previous meetings have come at the Challenger level (all on clay), with Bagnis leading the head-to-head series 2-1. The Argentine came out on top in 2015 and 2016 before Garin scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the semifinals of the 2018 Campinas Challenger.
It probably won’t be that big of a beatdown this time around, but Garin is a clear favorite as the top seed at home in Chile. The world No. 22 has captured four clay-court titles, including two on last year’s Golden Swing (Rio de Janeiro and Cordoba). Garin has not dropped a set in Santiago, while Bagnis went to three with Marco Cecchinato and Laslo Djere. Bagnis may feel the pressure of having never won an ATP title, and his drought will likely continue.
Pick: Garin in 2
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