A blockbuster first-round affair in Metz pits Ugo Humbert against Andy Murray on Tuesday. In other action, qualifier Holger Rune will try to build on his recent success at the expense of Alexei Popyrin.
(WC) Andy Murray vs. (6) Ugo Humbert
Murray has won a fair amount of matches on both the Challenger circuit and the main tour in 2021, but momentum has been slow to build as he heads into the fall swing. The 34-year-old Scot is still toiling away outside the top 100 at No. 113 in the world and he has defeated only one top 40 opponent this season (28th-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Wimbledon first round). Murray, who is coming off a Rennes Challenger loss to world No. 158 Roman Safiullin, has not beaten anyone in the top 25 since the 2020 Cincinnati Masters.
Up first for the three-time Grand Slam champion at the Moselle Open on Tuesday is Humbert, who comes in at No. 26 in the rankings. Humbert lost their only previous meeting 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 two years ago in Antwerp, but he is a much better player now. The Frenchman is a three-time title winner (most recently in Halle this summer) and he also reached the quarterfinals of the Olympics this summer. Playing at home in France, Humbert should take care of business against an opponent who has been struggling to beat elite competition.
Pick: Humbert in 2
(Q) Holger Rune vs. Alexei Popyrin
Rune battled his way into the Metz main draw on Monday with a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber. Going through qualification is nothing new for the 18-year-old Dane, who did the same at the U.S. Open before losing to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets. At 133rd in the rankings, Rune is making an assault on the top 100–but two early setbacks in recent clay-court Challengers (both to Kamil Majzhrzak) do not help.
A date with Popyrin on Tuesday won’t be an easy opener in the main draw. Popyrin also played well in New York, advancing to the third round and then succumbing to Dan Evans in a fifth-set tiebreaker. The 72nd-ranked Aussie captured the first ATP title of his career earlier this season on the indoor hard courts of Singapore. That same surface should give Popyrin an advantage here, as Rune has been playing entirely on clay ever since February aside from his U.S. Open appearance.
Pick: Popyrin in 3
WWW?
Who will win prbly
I forgot all about Rune. But he had not been placed in the main draw when brackets were open. I don’t know how I got Blinkova over Ostapenko in the Ostrava bracket. What a mess my brackets are in again!
Very hard to watch Simon. He is far from his old self which was fun watching. I will not forget him 😊.