Exactly two weeks ago, Benoit Paire and Pablo Andujar faced each other in the final of a clay-court Challenger tournament in Marbella.
Now it’s time for the real thing.
The same matchup will take place in Sunday’s Grand Prix Hassan II title tilt, marking the fifth career meeting between the two veterans. Although Andujar triumphed in Marbella via a 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 decision, Paire leads the head-to-head series 3-1 and all of his victories have come at the ATP level. The Frenchman prevailed on clay in both 2012 and 2013 to go along with a hard-court win at the Paris Masters to conclude his 2012 campaign.
Andujar has captured four ATP titles throughout his lengthy professional career, including at this same Marrakech event just last season. The 33-year-old Spaniard lifted that trophy from completely out of nowhere when he was ranked 355th in the world. A resurgent Andujar now registers at No. 70 and he is one win away from defending all of his points following defeats this week of Federico Delbonis, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Gilles Simon. Andujar, who also got a quarterfinal walkover from Jiri Vesely, has not yet dropped a single set.
Paire punched his ticket to championship Sunday by beating Aljaz Bedene, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Jaume Munar, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The world No. 69 had previously been just 4-9 on the main tour this season.
Based on Andujar’s current form, his easier path to the final, and his recent win over Paire, he should be able to secure career title No. 5. It is also worth noting that Paire is just 1-4 lifetime in ATP finals.
Pick: Andujar in 3
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