First-round action at the ATP 250 in Stockholm wraps up on Wednesday with Marton Fucsovics going up against Gael Monfils. Emil Ruusuvuori has already picked up a win this week and he will battle Tallon Griekspoor in the last 16.
(3) Tallon Griekspoor vs. Emil Ruusuvuori
Griekspoor and Ruusuvuori will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time this season when they collide in round two of the Nordic Open on Wednesday. All three of their previous encounters have gone Griekspoor’s way; 6-4, 6-2 at the Challenger level in 2017 (also on an indoor hard court in Sweden), 6-4, 7-5 this summer in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and 7-6(7), 6-3 in Davis Cup Finals group-stage competition last month.
Can Ruusuvuori turn the tide in this one? It’s possible, as the 61st-ranked Finn could benefit from having a Stockholm match already under his belt (defeated Benjamin Hassan 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday). It should also be noted that Griekspoor retired from his opening match at the Shanghai Masters, but that was due to illness and it was almost two weeks ago. The 27-year-old Dutchman is enjoying by far his best season on tour and has climbed to No. 25 in the world. Assuming he is 100 percent, Griekspoor will likely be too consistent for Ruusuvuori yet again.
Pick: Griekspoor in 3
(PR) Gael Monfils vs. Marton Fucsovics
Throughout his mercurial career, you have never been able to know what you are going to get from Monfils on any given day. That is the case to an even greater extent now that he is 37 years old and dealing with physical problems more often than not. The flamboyant Frenchman has been decent when healthy in 2023, but he has played only one match since the U.S. Open and that was a straight-set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Laver Cup. Monfils certainly heads into Stockholm as a major question mark.
Up first for him is Fucsovics, who lead the head-to-head series 2-0. The 62nd-ranked Hungarian got the job done 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 at the 2019 Madrid Masters and 6-4, 7-5 three years ago in Dubai. Fucsovics has been in typically solid form, advancing at least one round in six of his last seven main draws at the ATP level. This stretch includes a semifinal showing in Stuttgart and a recent third-round performance at the Shanghai Masters. Fucsovics may not be as flashy as Monfils, but he will be willing to stay out there all day long and get ball after ball back in play.
Pick: Fucsovics in 3
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