Ugo Humbert will get things started in front of the French crowd in Marseille when he faces Alexander Bublik during second-round action on Wednesday. Karen Khachanov is going up against Hamad Medjedovic.
Alexander Bublik vs. (2) Ugo Humbert
Bublik will once again have the Open 13 crowd against him when he battles Humbert for a quarterfinal spot on Wednesday. The 48th-ranked Kazakh met Richard Gasquet on Tuesday and ended the 38-year-old Frenchman’s final Marseille appearances by getting the job done 6-4, 6-4. It was a much-needed victory for Bublik, who is 4-14 in his last 18 matches dating back to Wimbledon.
Humbert, 12 years Gasquet’s junior, is an entirely different opponent in terms of both style overall level. The world No. 17’s aggressive tactics work very well on indoor hard courts–on which three of his six titles and one of his two finals (the 2024 Paris Masters) have come. You can’t have any lapses on your own serve when facing Humbert on this surface, but this current version of Bublik rarely gets through a full match without any hiccups.
Pick: Humbert in 2
(3) Karen Khachanov vs. Hamad Medjedovic
Khachanov and Medvedev will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Wednesday. It has been a slow start to the 2025 campaign for Khachanov, who dropped his opening match in Hong Kong to Kei Nishikori before falling to Alex Michelsen in round three of the Australian Open. A move to indoors could be just what the doctor ordered; half of the 21st-ranked Russian’s 10 ATP final appearances have come on this surface, as have four of his seven titles.
Medjedovic slumped through the 2024 season, failing to build on momentum from his 2023 NextGen ATP Finals title. The 96th-ranked Serb opened this year with a Challenger triumph in Oeiras, but he suffered a disastrous loss to world No. 149 Elmer Moller in the deciding rubber of a Davis Cup qualifying tie against Denmark a couple of weeks ago. Although Medjedovic did well to defeat Raphael Collignon on Monday, the 21-year-old’s form is inconsistent at best right now and Khachanov represents a big step up in competition.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
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