Finals previews and predictions: Tsonga vs. Herbert, Medvedev vs. Fucsovics

Two of Sunday’s three ATP finals will be contested in Montpellier and Sofia. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Pierre-Hugues Herbert are facing each other in the former, while the latter pits Daniil Medvedev against Marton Fucsovics.

(WC) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (7) Pierre-Hugues Herbert

It will be an all-French affair when Tsonga and Herbert battle for the Open Sud de France title on Sunday afternoon. Tsonga is sweeping the head-to-head series 2-0 and 5-0 in total sets, with a 6-4, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory at the 2016 Australian Open and 6-1, 6-2 rout at this same Montpellier event (second round) in 2017. Herbert, however, looks like a much different singles player now to go along with his doubles prowess (he just won the Australian Open with Nicolas Mahut to complete the career Grand Slam). The 27-year-old is up to No. 44 in the world–good for the seventh seed this week–and he has won multiple matches in all three of his tournaments this season. Herbert punched a ticket to his third career ATP final and second since last fall (Shenzhen) with Montpellier defeats of Denis Kudla, Ilya Ivashka, Denis Shapovalov, and Tomas Berdych.

Tsonga may not be the player he was in his prime, but he is healthy again and on his way back up the rankings. The 33-year-old Frenchman–currently 210th in the world–beat Alex de Minaur en route to the Brisbane semifinals, advanced one round at the Australian Open (lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic), and so far in Montpellier he has ousted Ugo Humbert, Gilles Simon, Jeremy Chardy, and Radu Albot. Their previous history notwithstanding, this really is not a great matchup for Tsonga. Herbert’s primary strengths–serve and ability to get into the net–work against Tsonga’s main weaknesses–return and backhand passing shots. The third time in a championship match should be the charm for Herbert.

Pick: Herbert in 3

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Marton Fucsovics vs. (3) Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev and Fucsovics will also be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in the Sofia Open final on Sunday. Both of their previous encounters have gone the way of Medvedev, who prevailed 6-3, 6-2 on the hard courts of the 2016 Portoroz Challenger and 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-5 last spring on the red clay of Monte-Carlo. The 16th-ranked Russian has only been getting better and better, to the extent that he looks to be a top 10 player sooner rather than later. Medvedev captured three titles last year, is already through to his second final of 2019, and also reached the fourth round in Melbourne (fell to Djokovic in four sets).

The 22-year-old has advanced in Sofia by taking out Robin Haase, Martin Klizan, Gael Monfils–dropping only the first set against Haase before completely rolling through the next six in a row. Fucsovics beat Andreas Seppi and Yannick Maden, got a walkover from Roberto Bautista Agut, and then overcame Matteo Berrettini 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday. The 47th-ranked Hungarian is bidding for his second career ATP title in what is also his second final (previously on the clay of Geneva last spring). A steep step up in competition, however, will likely signal the end of Fucsovic’s impressive run.

Pick: Medvedev in 2

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