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Match details
Fixture: Adrian Mannarino vs Radu Albot
Date: 12 November 2020
Tournament: Sofia Open 2020
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria
Category: ATP 250 Series
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €325,615
Match timing: 12 pm local time, 3.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Adrian Mannarino vs Radu Albot preview
Adrian Mannarino and Radu Albot both registered straight-sets victories in their respective second-round matches. They will now lock horns in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Sofia Open on Thursday.
Despite winning by a similar margin in terms of sets, Mannarino's and Albot's matches couldn’t have been more contrasting. The Frenchman labored to a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over Egor Gerasimov, while Albot easily dispatched World No. 12 Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4.
Mannarino is the fifth seed at Sofia, and he came into the tournament riding on a wave of momentum. The 32-year-old made the final in Astana, where he lost to John Millman, and at the Paris Masters he made it as far as the third round before falling to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.
At Sofia, however, the World No. 35 has had to endure a tough time so far despite facing opponents ranked considerably lower than him. Mannarino needed three sets and 130 minutes to overcome the challenge of World No. 150 Martin Klizan in the first round. And against the 81st-ranked Gerasimov, the Frenchman needed close to two hours to seal a spot in the last eight.
Radu Albot meanwhile has spent just 150-odd minutes on the court so far. Both his victories - against Yuichi Sugita and Denis Shapovalov - were achieved without much difficulty.
The Moldovan has been serving extremely well, as evidenced by the fact that he is yet to be broken in the tournament. Moreover, the World No. 93 has conceded only two break points so far.
Albot has been a bit of a giant-killer in recent weeks, having defeated Hubert Hurkacz in Paris and Denis Shapovalov in Sofia. The 31-year-old will hope to make the most of his good form in the quarterfinals against Mannarino.
Adrian Mannarino vs Radu Albot head-to-head
The head-to-head between Adrian Mannarino and Radu Albot is currently at 0-0; this will be their first encounter on the ATP tour.
Adrian Mannarino vs Radu Albot prediction
Adrian Mannarino comes into this game with the superior ranking, pedigree and recent results. However, the Frenchman has suffered a slight dip in form at Sofia, and it remains to be seen if he can rediscover his game from a couple of weeks ago.
Radu Albot, on the other hand, is playing some supremely clean tennis right now. He is not giving his opponents any free points, and his counterpunching game dealt particularly well with the pace and power of Shapovalov.
Moreover, fatigue could also be a factor for Mannarino in this fixture. All things considered, Albot would fancy his chances of causing another big upset and continuing his impressive run in Sofia.
Prediction: Radu Albot to win in three sets.
