Hubert Hurkacz will take on Jack Draper as the Monte-Carlo second round kicks off on Tuesday, while 2022 finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina battles Karen Khachanov in the first round. The latter is a rematch of a Miami encounters.
(10) Hubert Hurkacz vs. Jack Draper
Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz is not necessarily known for his clay-court prowess. He is under .500 on dirt for his career (18-20), but in 2022 he had a few good results during the European swing. One of the places where he played well was Monte-Carlo. He found his way to the quarters in the 2022 edition, ultimate losing a tight three-setter to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov.
He struggled mightily in his first-round match against Laslo Djere at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, as the world No. 62 from Serbia pushed Hurkacz to three tiebreak sets. Perhaps even more curiously, nine of the Pole’s last 11 sets have been decided in tiebreakers. This becomes more bizarre when you consider that four of those sets have come on clay, where service breaks are more common.
Fortunately for Hurkacz and his team, Tuesday opponent Jack Draper is largely untested on clay. The Brit has played three total tour-level matches on the dirt; he is 2-1, with one of those victories coming on Monday in the first round over an in-form Sebastian Baez. The other two came in Madrid last year–the fastest of the European clay events.
This should be another close one. Look for this one to go the distance with Hurkacz just edging out Draper in the end.
Cheryl pick: Hurkacz in 3
Ricky pick: Draper in 3
(9) Karen Khachanov vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is one of the more dangerous unseeded opponents in the Monte-Carlo draw. The He made his way to the final last year, taking out Novak Djokovic in early-round play prior to a straight-set loss at the hands of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Davidovich Fokina wasn’t dominant in Estoril last week, where he lost in the quarters, but he has plenty of confidence when he shows up at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
Russia’s Karen Khachanov ran into Davidovich Fokina a few weeks ago in the third round of Indian Wells. It was the second meeting between the two men and the second loss for the Russian. Khachanov knows how to play on clay; he made the round of 16 at Roland Garros last year. But it’s not his preferred surface, either. This is a tricky and unlucky draw for Khachanov.
Davidovich Fokina should have plenty in the tank following several days of rest. Look for the Spaniard to get his third consecutive win over Khachanov.
Cheryl pick: Davidovich Fokina in 3
Ricky pick: Davidovich Fokina in 3
WWW?
No complaints here. Hurkacz has a big serve, something Baez does not, and Baez’s form is questionable. Not so with Hurkacz, he’s been on a tear for a while now, and should put in a good show against a less experienced opponent on the dirt.
Both players have a match in clay under their belt, so Draper doesn’t have any edge going into this match.
Fokina was simply flat until he was facing imminent defeat against Chechinatto and was also nursing a slight rib injury. If that has subsided then he should continue the improvement he showed in the latter stages of that match and goes into this match with 1 match advantage.
However, Khachanov is in very good form, and you would think Fokina would need to be 100% and playing well to get it done.
So, there’s a few question marks over this one, hence the 50/50 betting market.
Hubie in a tough 3; ADF in 2.
Thanks for sharing these updates..!!
HH & KK, each in three
Djokovic isn’t winning MC.
He does look a bit out of sorts, doesn’t he?