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Match details
Fixture: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pedro Martinez
Date: 10 October 2021
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,761,725
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pedro Martinez preview
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will open his bid for his maiden BNP Paribas Open title against World No. 61 Pedro Martinez in the second round on Sunday.
Tsitsipas will be playing his first competitive match since his shock loss to rising Spanish teen Carlos Alcaraz in the third round of the US Open.
The Greek has otherwise had a stellar season. He reached a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career at the French Open and also tasted ATP Masters 1000 glory at Monte-Carlo. He won the Lyon title and finished as the runner-up in Barcelona in what was a spectacular claycourt swing.
The Greek then notched up semifinal runs at Toronto and Cincinnati before falling early at the US Open. The 23-year-old was also a part of the victorious Team Europe at the Laver Cup and will be keen to carry that momentum into Indian Wells, where he has never been past the second round.
Tsitsipas' opponent, Pedro Martinez, has gained in confidence in the past few weeks after a slow start to the season. The Spaniard made the final of the ATP 250 event in Kitzbuhel, losing to World No. 14 Casper Ruud in three sets. Martinez followed that up with a title at the Seville Challenger.
The Spaniard started his campaign in Indian Wells in strong fashion, registering a 6-4, 6-0 win over Roberto Marcora to set up a second-round clash with Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pedro Martinez head-to-head
Stefanos Tsitsipas has a 1-0 lead over Pedro Martinez in their head-to-head record, having beaten the Spaniard 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 at Roland Garros earlier this year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pedro Martinez prediction
This is a match of contrasting styles. While Stefanos Tsitsipas likes to play aggressive tennis from the baseline, Pedro Martinez is more of a counterpuncher.
The Spaniard will look to engage Tsitsipas in long rallies, wear him down and extract errors from the Greek's racquet. But if Tsitsipas finds his rhythm, Martinez stands the risk of being blown away. The World No. 3 will look to use his powerful forehand to keep the Spaniard pinned to the baseline, before moving forward to finish points at the net.
That said, the Greek's backhand has a tendency to break down under pressure and for Martinez to stand any chance of victory, he will have to target that wing consistently.
All in all, Tsitsipas has the experience and form coming into this match and should be able to make a winning start to his Indian Wells campaign.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.
