By Tony Fairbairn
- Andrey Rublev [5] v Jannik Sinner [9]
- Casper Ruud [4] v Grigor Dimitrov
- Alexander Zverev [2] v Pablo Carreno Busta [13]
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – After an exodus of top 10 players, the dark horses for Roland Garros look to make an early statement as it’s third round Thursday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
[table “ADPDAll” not found /]
Andrey Rublev [5] v Jannik Sinner [9] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Andrey Rublev [5] v Jannik Sinner [9] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| ATP Monte-Carlo | Monte-Carlo, Monaco |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €72,865 |
| Fourth on Court Rainier III (16:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Former finalist Andrey Rublev has been a unique player to follow this season and by the Russian’s standards he would like more consistency. When Rublev’s on form he is hard to stop, when he’s out of sorts than he can be beaten by any player in the world. The fifth seed’s nail-biting opening match with Alex De Minaur was a pure example of this. Rublev will be hoping as the clay season rolls on his form can be more consistent as he looks to make a deep run at Roland Garros.
Next for Rublev is the talented Italian Jannik Sinner who got past Emil Ruusuvuori in his second round match. Sinner has had a turbulent season in terms of his coaching team but has proved his worth as one of the tour’s most talented players with consistent results. The Italian will be hoping his brutal power can take him to the next step in his development and a solid clay court season wouldn’t harm those intentions.
Both players display brutal power in defensive transition which is what makes this match such an interesting contest. The most consistent player should get through this match and judging on their performances this week, the Italian is favourite to reach the quarter-finals in what should be one of the best matches of the week.
Prediction: Sinner in three sets.
Casper Ruud [4] v Grigor Dimitrov H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Casper Ruud [4] v Grigor Dimitrov | H2H: Ruud leads 1-0 |
| ATP Monte-Carlo | Monte-Carlo, Monaco |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €72,865 |
| First on Court Rainier III (10:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Casper Ruud is back on his favourite surface after a positive start to the season which saw him reach his maiden masters 1000 final in Miami. The Norwegian won multiple titles on the European clay last season and is looking to make a huge impression once again this year. The fourth seed’s serve mixed with new-found aggression makes him a tough opponent to get through and will once again cause problems for the best players in the world on clay this year.
Ruud will have to overcome Grigor Dimitrov first in Monte-Carlo with the Bulgarian notching up an impressive victory over former finalist Dusan Lajovic in the last round. Clay is not a surface that Dimitrov has found to be successful in the past but with his agility and accurate point construction, the Bulgarian will look to change that this year. Can Dimitrov gain success on the red dirt this year?
This is a bad match-up on clay for Dimitrov with Ruud’s defensive qualities mixed with aggression on serve making it difficult for Dimitrov to power past the fourth seed’s stubborn defence. Ruud should be tested here but ultimately the Norwegian should have too much tactical awareness to come through this match-up.
Prediction: Ruud in straight sets.
Alexander Zverev [2] v Pablo Carreno Busta [13] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alexander Zverev [2] v Pablo Carreno Busta [13] | H2H: Zverev leads 2-0 |
| ATP Monte-Carlo | Monte-Carlo, Monaco |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €72,865 |
| Third on Court Rainier III (14:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Alexander Zverev would have been relieved to get through his first match of the week against Federico Delbonis in a potential dangerous opponents. Zverev will now be looking for some consistency which is something he has been lacking this season. Can the German continue to build momentum towards Roland Garros in what has been a lacklustre season so far?
Next up for Zverev is former Roland Garros quarter-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta who will be relieved to see the European clay after recent results. The Spaniard has failed to back up his second week showing at the Australian Open in January and will look to put that behind him as he looks for a good stretch of results leading up to Roland Garros in May.
This is a potentially big match for both of these players in terms of the rest of their seasons and the German will hope he can use his consistent power in an accurate way to neutralise the depth and athleticism of Carreno Busta. It should be a tentative affair but one Zverev will get through in three sets.
Prediction: Zverev in three sets.
 |
|---|
How to Watch/Follow ATP Monte-Carlo
| Live Stream | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial
TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Live Scores on Britwatch Sports |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |