Monte Carlo Masters 2021: Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez

Date: 12 April 2021

Tournament: Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 2021

Round: First round (Round of 64)

Venue: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Claycourt

Prize money: €2,082,960

Match timing: Approx. 12.30 pm local time, 4 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | UK - Europsport

Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez preview

Tommy Paul is set to make his debut at the Monte Carlo Masters with a first-round encounter against Spain's Perdo Martinez on Monday.

Paul, who is on the cusp of the top 50, has faced a few early exits in recent tournaments. He will be hopeful of turning over a new leaf in the claycourt season, and a deep run at the Masters 1000 event here will come as a huge boost to his confidence.

Pedro Martimez

Pedro Martinez, on his part, first burst onto the scene at last year's French Open, where he made it to the third round after coming through qualifying. The Spaniard followed up that result with another third-round showing at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Despite his exploits in Melbourne, Martinez remains the quintessential clay-court specialist. He has a solid baseline-oriented game, and could well pose a few questions to Paul.

Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez head-to-head

Tommy Paul will be hopeful of turning over a new leaf ahead of the clay court season.

Pedro Martinez leads Tommy Paul in the head-to-head by a slender 1-0 margin. The Spaniard had scored a relatively straightforward 6-4, 6-4 win over his opponent in the qualification rounds of the 2019 US Open.

Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez prediction

Tommy Paul enters the contest as the favorite on paper, but as mentioned before, he hasn't been in particularly great form leading up to this tournament. The American does possess a fairly well-rounded game, but things just haven't come together well for him in recent weeks.

Pedro Martinez, on the other hand, has made the best of his opportunities. He notched up solid wins over Emil Ruusuvuori and Yoshihito Nishioka en-route to his third-round appearance in Melbourne, and has shown a knack for causing the odd upset on the big stage.

The Spaniard has already won two matches here and is well-acquainted with the conditions. He will now be fancying his chances against an out-of-form opponent.

Martinez is unlikely to give away too many free points to his opponent, and it will be up to Paul to raise his level and avoid an upset here.

Prediction: Pedro Martinez to win in three sets.