Marseille R2 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Sinner, Shapovalov vs. Cilic

Daniil Medvedev will have to be on top of his game right from the start in Marseille, where he is going up against Jannik Sinner on Thursday. Denis Shapovalov is also getting his week started with what could be a tough one against Marin Cilic.

(1) Daniil Medvedev vs. Jannik Sinner

Medvedev won seven of his first eight matches this season, but for the most part he has not yet recaptured his 2019 form. The fifth-ranked Russian lost to Stan Wawrinka in round four of the Australian Open and then fell right away in Rotterdam at the hands of Vasek Pospisil. It goes without saying that this is not the same Medvedev who reached six consecutive finals last summer and fall.

Up first for the No. 1 seed at the Open 13 on Thursday is Sinner, who advanced with a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Norbert Gombos. The 18-year-old Italian is already up to 68th in the world with a 14-14 lifetime record at the ATP level (3-4 this season). Still, Sinner is also not quite as on fire as he was at the end of 2019 and you have to think Medvedev will get in gear sooner rather than later.

Pick: Medvedev in 2

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Marin Cilic vs. (4) Denis Shapovalov

Shapovalov and Cilic will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Thursday. They have split their two previous meetings; Cilic prevailed 6-4, 6-2 at the 2018 Basel event before Shapovalov dominated by the exact same scoreline at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters.

Both players head into this one with question marks. Cilic showed signs of his former self with a five-set Australian Open upset of Roberto Bautista Agut, but the 39th-ranked Croat once again struggled with a knee issue while scraping past Ilya Ivashka 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 on Tuesday. Shapovalov has lost four matches in a row dating back to the Auckland quarterfinals. This could be a roller-coaster ride, but the 15th-ranked Canadian is more reliable due to Cilic’s potential physical problems.

Pick: Shapovalov in 3

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