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Day 1 of the 2025 Almaty Open promises to be a cracker with several ATP Tour regulars in action. Corentin Moutet and Gabriel Diallo are two of the top eight seeds in action on Monday (October 13), but both of them will receive stiff resistance from some inspired opponents in their opening-round matches.
Formidable players like Fabian Marozsan, Luca Nardi, and James Duckworth also round out the singles players in the line-up for the first day of the ATP 250 tournament. Without further ado, let's take a look at how some of the first-round matches at this week's Almaty Open will likely go down:
#1 Bernard Tomic vs Corentin Moutet
Bernard Tomic has made a slow yet steady climb up the ATP rankings this year, going from being on the cusp of exiting the men's top 250 in May to reaching the World No. 168 position this week. If that wasn't any indication of the former World No. 17's newfound vigour, he also saved a match point during his 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(6) victory against Marc-Andrea Huesler in the second-qualifying round of the Almaty Open on Sunday.
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Corentin Moutet, meanwhile, was riding a good wave of momentum in the first seven months of the 2025 season. However, the World No. 37 has dropped six of his last 12 matches and is now looking to make amends in Almaty. The eighth seed and his Aussie opponent have never met on the ATP Tour, meaning the latter has little clue as far as his left-handed opponent's patterns are concerned.
Predicted winner: Corentin Moutet to win in three sets.
#2 Gabriel Diallo (2024 Almaty Open runner-up)
vs Amir Omarkhanov
While Gabriel Diallo has accumulated a measly 27-21 win/loss record in 2025, he has still impressed by winning his maiden ATP singles title at the Libema Open earlier this year. The seventh seed is one of the outside favorites to go all the way at this week's Almaty Open, having finished runner-up to Karen Khachanov in three sets at last year's 250-level event.
17-year-old Amir Omarkhanov will be his first-round opponent; the Kazakh youngster has received a wildcard entry into the main draw in Almaty by virtue of his respectable results on the ITF Futures circuit. Diallo at 24 has much more experience than his opponent, but buoyed by local support back home, the latter can cause a little trouble for the World No. 35.
Predicted winner: Gabriel Diallo to win in straight sets.
#3 Fabian Marozsan vs Luca Nardi
Since enjoying his career-high ATP ranking of 36 last May, Fabian Marozsan has hit a roadblock in terms of his form. The Hungarian has gone 24-24 in his tour-level outings this year and will be eager to turn his fortunes around at the Almaty Open, where he has never won a match in his career.
Luca Nardi, on his part, is also struggling with consistency lately, having dropped four of his last five matches since reaching the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open. Although the Italian World No. 83 trails his older opponent 0-2 in their head-to-head meetings, he might eke out an upset win considering how low the latter is in match-winning form.
Predicted winner: Luca Nardi to win in three sets.
#4 James Duckworth vs Ugo Blanchet
James Duckworth qualified for this year's Almaty Open in hard-fought fashion, beating local favorite Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the second qualifying round earlier this week. The World No. 138 Aussie will compete in his 13th ATP Tour singles main draw this week.
Ugo Blanchet also endured a somewhat similar qualifying path, beating Ilia Simakin 6-3, 6-7(8), 7-6(5) in his first-qualifying round match before downing Rinky Hijikata 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the main draw in Almaty. While the World No. 150 doesn't have his older opponent's experience on the main tour, he is the more in-form player lately, which gives him all the chances to reach the second round of the ATP 250 tournament that he needs.
Predicted winner: Ugo Blanchet to win in three sets.
