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Match details
Fixture: (5) Adrian Mannarino vs Egor Gerasimov
Date: 11 November 2020
Tournament: Sofia Open 2020
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €325,615
Match timing: Approx. 1.30 pm local time, 5 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Adrian Mannarino vs Egor Gerasimov preview
Adrian Mannarino will look to make the quarterfinals of the Sofia Open when he takes on the 81st-ranked Egor Gerasimov on Wednesday.
World No. 35 Adrian Mannarino struggled at a string of events after losing to Alexander Zverev in the third round of the US Open. But the southpaw snapped his four-match losing streak on the indoor hardcourts of Cologne 2, and since then has played his most consistent tennis of the year.
Mannarino reached the quarterfinals in Cologne, the final in Nur-Sultan and the pre-quarterfinals at the Paris Masters. In fact, he was the only player to take a set off the seemingly invincible Alexander Zverev before the German ran into the human wall that is Daniil Medvedev in the Paris final.
Mannarino has continued his momentum in Sofia too. After Martin Klizan took the first set of their opening round clash 6-3, the Frenchman went up another gear to seal a gritty 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 comeback victory in 2 hours 9 minutes.
Meanwhile Egor Gerasimov, who started the year with a run to the final in Pune, has managed to reach only two more quarterfinals since. The first one was at Marseille just before the tour shutdown, while the second came months later at Nur-Sultan.
At Sofia, the 27-year-old needed three sets to edge past Serbian qualifier Viktor Troicki 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round.
Adrian Mannarino vs Egor Gerasimov head-to-head
Adrian Mannarino and Egor Gerasimov have split their two ATP tour meetings, so the head-to-head is currently tied at 1-1. Interestingly, both of their matches have come on indoor hardcourt.
While Mannarino beat Gerasimov 7-6(3), 6-3 in the 2018 Moscow quarterfinals, the Belarusian turned the tables in the St. Petersburg pre-quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win.
The two had also locked horns at the Tashkent Challenger in 2014, which went Mannarino's way 6-3, 6-1.
Adrian Mannarino vs Egor Gerasimov prediction
Adrian Mannarino comes into this match with a lot of confidence and momentum. The World No. 35 has rediscovered his form on indoor hardcourts, where his flat groundstrokes are very effective.
Mannarino has also shown a lot of tenacity and improved stamina levels over the last few weeks. Those qualities have helped him win several long matches, including his first-rounder at Sofia.
Egor Gerasimov is a player whose game is built on a strong serve and a power-packed forehand, and on his day he can blow anyone off the court. But Mannarino has more variety, and his use of the slice and the drop shot could throw the Belarusian off his rhythm.
If he is not feeling any fatigue on Wednesday, the Frenchman should be able to get the win.
Prediction: Adrian Mannarino to win in straight sets.
