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Match details
Fixture: Lorenzo Musetti vs Marcos Giron
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,584,055.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Marcos Giron preview
World No. 55 Marcos Giron and World No. 56 Lorenzo Musetti will lock horns in the first round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
While he's one of the fastest-rising talents on the tour, Musetti has been highly inconsistent this year. He went on a three-match losing streak to start the season before reaching the quarterfinals in Pune. The 20-year-old backed it up with a run to the last eight in Rotterdam as well.
After losing his Dubai opener meekly to Novak Djokovic, the Italian youngster needed three sets to prevail over Norbert Gombos at the Davis Cup Qualifiers.
Musetti will be keen to bring that fighting spirit when he begins his Indian Wells campaign against Giron, placed just one rung above him in the ATP Rankings.
Giron, meanwhile, has been working his way up the rankings ladder for the past couple of years following two hip surgeries. 2021 turned out to be his best season on tour yet, where he made the semifinals in Sofia and three other quarterfinals.
Giron has built on his run further this year. On the back of a semifinal in Dallas and a quarterfinal in Acapulco, the 28-year-old has risen to a career-high ranking of 55.
Brimming with confidence, the American will be eager to put up a strong showing at home in Indian Wells.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Marcos Giron head-to-head
Musetti and Giron have never squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Marcos Giron prediction
Marcos Giron has picked up some momentum after a poor start to the year. Lorenzo Musetti, on the other hand, has struggled to maintain his level with results that swing either way.
Giron will hope to capitalize on the Italian's lack of efficiency on his strokes. Although his single-handed backhand is quite a weapon, Musetti has been unable to use it to good effect this year. Additionally, his forehand remains a liability that can be exploited.
A solid baseliner, Giron will look to attack his younger opponent's relatively weaker forehands in order to eke out errors and make a dent in his confidence level. The American has a decent serve and he can get some free points off of it.
If he can serve well and keep up the pressure on the returns, Giron has a good chance of advancing to the second round.
Prediction: Marcos Giron to win in straight sets.
