It will be a showdown between the top two seeds when Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti collide in the Athens championship match on Saturday. Cameron Norrie and Learner Tien will battle for the Metz title.
Hellenic Championship: (1) Novak Djokovic vs. (2) Lorenzo Musetti
It is none other than Djokovic who stands in the way of Musetti’s Athens title – and a place in the final Nitto ATP Finals. That is what is at stake for the 23-year-old Italian on Saturday. If he lifts the Athens trophy, he will also take eighth and final place in the year-end championship. If Musetti loses, his hopes of qualifying are over and it will be Felix Auger-Aliassime who plays in Turin.
The number 9 in the world has already come close to an exit this week. He was two points from defeat during an eventual 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 second-round victory over Stan Wawrinka and was one point from losing in the semi-finals, but saved a match point against Sebastian Korda to win 6-0, 5-7, 7-5. Djokovic encountered no such problems on his way to the title. The 38-year-old Serbian defeated Alejandro Tabilo, Nuno Borges and Yannick Hanfmann, all in straight sets. It’s been both a physical and mental battle for Musetti in Athens so far, and he trails Djokovic 8-1 in the head-to-head series.
Choice: Djokovic in 3
Moselle Open: (7) Cameron Norrie versus student Tien
Norrie and Tien will face each other for the fourth time in their careers and for the fourth time this season when they meet again in Metz on Sunday. Tien leads the head-to-head series 2-1, having prevailed twice in a row at the Acapulco ATP 500 (7-6(5), 6-3) and at the Shanghai Masters (7-6(4), 6-3). Norrie’s only victory came during the first tournament in Hong Kong in January (6-3, 7-5).
The final chapter of this far-left rivalry should end well for Tien, as his opponent in Metz has been living on thin ice. All four of Norrie’s matches have required three sets, and he has come back from a set down on successive occasions against Arthur Cazaux, Kyrian Jacquet and Lorenzo Sonego. Tien, on the other hand, managed to get his ticket for the title match with relative ease. The 19-year-old American dropped just one set as he defeated Ugo Blanchet, Moez Echargui, Matteo Berrettini and Vitality Sachko. Count on Tien to make it three in a row against Norrie.
Choice: Ten in 3
#Final #picks #predictions #Djokovic #Musetti #Norrie #Ten