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The ATP circuit continues at breakneck speed as the tour shifts to France for the Open 13 tournament in Marseille this week. Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev and semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas headline the event as the top seeds.
The likes of Karen Khachanov, Ugo Humbert, Jannik Sinner and Kei Nishikori also find themselves jostling for the title in the French city. With main draw action set to kick off on Monday, here's a look at how the top seeds are likely to fare:
Top half: Tournament favorite Daniil Medvedev has a tough path to the final
Expected semifinal: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (3) Karen Khachanov
World No. 3 and top seed Daniil Medvedev comes into the Marseille tournament as the favorite, having been on a 20-match winning streak prior to the Australian Open final.
Medvedev lost in the first round at Rotterdam against Dusan Lajovic, and would be hoping to regain his touch this week. But the Russian's path to the final is far from easy, with a potential quarterfinal encounter against 19-year-old Jannik Sinner.
Sinner would be fancying his chances of a deep run here, having won two titles in the last four months and coming into the tournament as the fifth seed.
The Italian triumphed in the leadup tournament to the Australian Open last month, before suffering a five-set defeat at the hands of Denis Shapovalov in the Australian Open first round. He then bowed out to Aljaz Bedene in the first round at Montpellier while saddled with a back injury, but he seems back to full fitness now.
On the other side of this section is Karen Kahchanov, who will face either Mackenzie McDonald or Stefano Travaglia in the second round and possibly Yoshihito Nishioka in the third. The Russian looked in good nick during his recent runs in Melbourne and Rotterdam, and would be a tough player to beat if he reaches the semis.
Predicted semifinal: Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov
Dark horse: Egor Gerasimov
Notable first round match: Dennis Novak vs Hugo Gaston
Bottom half: Stefanos Tsitsipas on the hunt for a third consecutive trophy in Marseille
Expected semfinal: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (4) Ugo Humbert
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas comes into Marseille as the two-time defending champion. The Greek lost to Andrey Rublev in the Rotterdam semis on Saturday, but would be hoping to put together a title run in the French city.
Although on the lighter side of the draw as opposed to his arch-rival Daniil Medvedev, Tsitsipas could face some resistance from sixth seed Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinal.
Nishikori put his woeful run of form behind him at Rotterdam last week, as he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur to reach his first quarterfinal since Wimbledon 2019.
Seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and fourth seed and local favorite Ugo Humbert make up the other side of this half of the draw. Given the recent form of the two, however, neither is likely to pose much of a threat to the other top seeds in the tournament.
Also here is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who faces Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez in the first round. The quick indoor conditions are likely to favor both players, but Lopez might have an edge given his greater match practice in recent times.
Predicted semifinal: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Feliciano Lopez
Dark horse: Cameron Norrie
Notable first round match(es): Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Feliciano Lopez, Kei Nishikori vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Predicted final
Jannik Sinner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Predicted champion
Jannik Sinner
