ATP Sofia Open 2020: Gilles Simon vs Andrej Martin Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction
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Gilles Simon will play against Andrej Martin in the first round of the 2020 Sofia Open. They play against each other for the first time ever on the ATP Tour.
Match Details:
Date: 10th November (tentative)
Tournament: ATP Sofia Open 2020
Round: Round of 32
Fixture: Gilles Simon vs Andrej Martin
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor-Hard Court
Prize Money: Approx. €325,615
Gilles Simon vs Andrej Martin: Match Preview
Frenchman Gilles Simon hasn’t aged too well. The 35-year-old has been gradually losing his form over the years, never quite reaching the levels he set in the past decade. His world ranking has been going down, up, and further down ever since his career-best of 6 in 2009.
With erratic performances all around, he comes into this match with a poor 10-11 record. His indoor hardcourt run has also been shaky. He managed to make the Cologne 2 quarterfinals, defeating a heavyweight in Denis Shapovalov in the second round. However, most of the rest of his tournaments have been first or second-round exits. Much earlier in the year, he also reached the Marseille Open semifinals but lost to the young Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The veteran seems to have a weakness for three-setters in recent times. He appears to lack the ability to clinch points in the deciding set and has lost a considerable proportion of the three-setters this year. However, he will be playing this match after two comfortable wins in qualifying – a confidence booster for sure.
His opponent is Slovakian Andrej Martin. Andrej started out on the ATP Tour relatively late and has very little experience playing ATP events. The 31-year-old has suffered early exits in most of the tournaments he played in this year. His best performance was a semifinals appearance at Cordoba. He also made the second round at Roland Garros, defeating the higher-ranked but out-of-form Joao Sousa in the first round.
The late bloomer’s highlight this year would be breaking into the top 100 earlier this year. However, he has slipped back down since then and currently sits at 105.
Gilles Simon vs Andrej Martin: Head-to-Head
The two players have never played before on the ATP Tour. This will be their first encounter ever.
Thus, the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Gilles Simon vs Andrej Martin: Match Prediction
While this match may look like a walk in the park for Gilles Simon, he has been suffering from lost form and erratic performances. He is playing on his favorite surface, so he should be bringing an advantage coming into this match.
The odds are against Martin given his limited match experience and poor record, especially on indoor hardcourts. However, if Simon gets too relaxed, Martin has the tenacity to compete for all three sets. He may find it tough if he loses a set early.
Match Prediction: Gilles Simon to win in straight sets against Andrej Martin.
Also read: ATP Sofia Open 2020: Dimitar Kuzmanov vs Salvatore Caruso Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction
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Yash Vinod
(82 Articles Published)