Vasek Pospisil will hope to maintain his fine form when he gets started in Marseille against Emil Ruusuvuori on Tuesday. Fifth-seeded Karen Khachanov is kicking off his campaign against Aljaz Bedene.
(PR) Vasek Pospisil vs. (LL) Emil Ruusuvuori
As he heads into the Open 13, Pospisil’s February swing already includes a runner-up performance in Montpellier. The 98th-ranked Canadian got right back in action to upset Daniil Medvedev in Rotterdam before falling to Filip Krajinovic. Pospisil is now 6-4 in main draws this season (8-4 overall, including successful qualification in Auckland).
Up first for the 29-year-old in Marseille is Ruusuvuori, who got in as a lucky loser when Krajinovic withdrew. The Finnish 20-year-old, who is touted as one of the most talent young stars in the game, is up to a career-high ranking of No. 101 in the world and can crack the top 100 with a victory on Tuesday. But this is a tough test against a confident opponent, especially after Ruusuvuori lost to Egor Gerasimov 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(6) in two hours and 28 minutes on Monday.
Pick: Pospisil in 2
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Aljaz Bedene vs. (5) Karen Khachanov
Khachanov and Bedene will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers on Tuesday. All three of their previous meetings have gone Khachanov’s way, but all three have required final sets. They have not faced each other since the summer of 2017, when the Russian prevailed 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 on the red clay of Hamburg.
Both men have been busy this season, combining to play 21 matches (Khachanov is 7-4, Bedene is 5-5). Bedene upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rotterdam, but all five of his losses in 2020 have come in straight sets and many have been disappointing–including to Ernests Gulbis in round one of the Australian Open. If Khachanov is on top of his game, as he has been more often than not this season, the world No. 17 should have too much firepower.
Pick: Khachanov in 2
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