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Frenchman Adrian Mannarino opens his campaign at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters against gritty Australian John Millman.
The 38th-ranked Mannarino started his season with a trio of first-round exits. He lost in Doha to Alexander Bublik, took a set off Auckland finalist Andreas Seppi in a three-set loss, and fell in straight sets to eventual Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem.
Adrian Mannarino then picked up his first of only two wins in the season, at Montpellier. He beat Alexei Popyrin in the first round there, before losing to eventual champion Gael Monfils in the next round.
Another pair of opening round exits followed for the Frenchman in Rotterdam and Delray Beach, before the left-hander beat Cameron Norrie to get past the opening hurdle in Dubai.
However, Adrian Mannarino fell to Grigor Dimitrov in a third-set tiebreak in the next round to suffer his seventh loss of the season in as many tournaments.
Adrian Mannarino's first-round opponent in Cincinnati, John Millman, has had a better start to the season. The World No. 43 won his first four matches in 2020 - two at the inaugural ATP Cup and two in Auckland - before losing to Benoit Paire in the quarterfinals.
Millman continued his good form at the Australian Open, navigating the first two rounds at his 'home' Grand Slam tournament for the loss of just one set. Then in a rematch of the pair's 2018 US Open fourth round, the Australian came within two points of another upset win over Roger Federer.
That was not to be in the end, as Millman lost six points on the trot to lose the match.
The Federer defeat seemed to have knocked the wind out of Millman's sails, as he lost his next two matches - in Delray Beach and Acapulco. He recovered some of his lost mojo during Australia's Davis Cup tie against Brazil, winning both of his singles matches.
Adrian Mannarino vs John Millman head-to-head
Adrian Mannarino and John Millman have met just once on the ATP Tour, with Millman leading the head-to-head record 1-0. The match took place in the opening round at the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo last year.
After dropping the opening set 4-6, Millman regrouped to eke out a tough three-set win. He would go on to win three more matches in the tournament and reach the final, before going down to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Adrian Mannarino vs John Millman prediction
Adrian Mannarino has a superior record in Masters 1000 tournaments compared to Millman. The Frenchman has won 36 matches in the tournament category compared to the Australian's tally of seven.
He has won only two matches all year, but Adrian Mannarino has arrived in Cincinnati on the back of a win in the Monterrey 100 Challenger. The Frenchman has won five matches in Cincinnati in the past, which includes at least one win in each of his last three appearances at the tournament.
On the other hand, John Millman has just one win at the tournament - which came in his only main draw appearance, back in 2016.
A three-set win for Adrian Mannarino would be the most likely outcome when the duo clash in the opening round of the 2020 Cincinnati Masters.
Prediction: Adrian Mannarino to win in three sets.
Match details
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2020.
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $4,674,780.
Live telecast: India - Sony Ten 2 | USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN.
Match timing: 3 PM EDT (12:30 AM IST).
