ATP Pune 2022: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis, and Prediction for Maharashtra Open


ATP Pune 2022: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis, and Prediction for Maharashtra Open

Jiri Vesely, Aslan Karatsev and Lorenzo Musetti

After missing out last year due to the COVID pandemic, India’s only tennis tour-level tournament, the ATP 250 Maharashtra Open will begin on January 31 and will feature some top players from all around the world. Aslan Karatsev will go in as the top seed while Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti is seeded second.

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Tournament Details:

  • Tournament: ATP Maharashtra Open 2022
  • Date: January 31 – February 6, 2022
  • Number of Entrants: 28 (Singles), 16 (Doubles)
  • Venue: Pune, India
  • Surface: Hard Court
  • Prize Money: $430,530
  • Defending champion: Jiri Vesely

Top Seeds at the ATP Pune 2022

  • Aslan Karatsev
  • Lorenzo Musetti
  • Gianluca Mager
  • Jiri Vesely
  • Daniel Altmaier
  • Emil Ruusuvuori
  • Ricardas Berankis
  • Stefano Travaglia

Men’s Singles Draw Analysis and Prediction

Top Half

Aslan Karatsev
Aslan Karatsev

World No.15 Aslan Karatsev will headline the top half of the draw and gets a first-round bye along with the other top 4 seeds. He gets a very easy draw and will face a qualifier in the Round of 16. He is drawn alongside 8th seed Stefano Travaglia who opens against Indian wild card Ramkumar Ramanathan. The winner could face either Jozef Kovalik or yet another Indian Yuki Bhambri in the Round of 16. The winner of this section will face Karatsev in the quarterfinals.

Third seed Gianluca Mager will take on either Joao Sousa or Indian wild card Arjun Kadhe in the second round. German 5th seed Daniel Altmaier is also in the second quarter and will open against Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Italian Federico Gaio and Radu Albot are also in the same section of the draw. Mager and either Gunneswaran or Altmaier are expected to lock horns in the last 8.

First Semi-Final Prediction: Aslan Karatsev vs Gianluca Mager

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Bottom Half

Who is Lorenzo Musetti
Lorenzo Musetti

Italian teenage sensation Lorenzo Musetti will headline the bottom half of the draw as the second seed. He will face either Aleksander Vukic or Hugo Grenier in the second round. Musetti is yet to win a match in 2022 and would want a deep run in Pune. 7th seed Ricardas Bernakis will take on Frenchman Quentin Halys in the opener and will face either a qualifier or Kamil Majchrzak in the Round of 16.

Defending champion Jiri Vesely is seeded 4th this year and will face any one of Dennis Novak or Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the second round. Meanwhile, 6th seed Emil Ruusuvuori will have to battle past Egor Gerasimov for a second-round spot where he’ll face either Cam Ilkel or a qualifier.

Second Semi-Final Prediction: Emil Ruusuvuori vs Lorenzo Musetti

Semifinals

Emil Ruusuvuori
Emil Ruusuvuori

Karatsev will face Mager in the first semifinal. The Russian is the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament and will fancy his chances to win a second tour title this season. Mager, however could trouble Karatsev with his defensive style of play but expect the top seed to cruise into the final.

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In a battle of young guns, in form Emil Ruusuvuori will be up against second seed Lorenzo Musetti. Ruusuvuori has done very well so far this season while Musetti has had a terrible start. But based on big match temperament, the Italian may just get past Ruusuvuori.

Maharashtra Open Final: Aslan Karatsev vs Lorenzo Musetti

Final

Aslan Karatsev
Aslan Karatsev

The two highest-ranked players of the tournament- Aslan Karatsev and Lorenzo Musetti will battle for the title on Sunday. Both players have very high percentage play and go for big shots on merit. Musetti has a slight advantage on defensive slices but Karatsev’s power-play could be too much for him. If Karatsev keeps his game clean, he is expected to easily win the title.

Champion: Aslan Karatsev

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Also read: Latest ATP Rankings post Australian Open 2022: Novak Djokovic still at the top, Rafael Nadal solidifies his position